Maximum PC

Hey im a 10th grader at summit highskool, ok my concentration is to be some kinda Computer Engineer, Programmer, Hardware, or something that resides under Computer Science. Im a A-B student with Advanced math, science, and programing classes along with an AP "Principle of Engineering" course. I have well general knowledge in computers (ask me) and pretty fluent in computer hardware and will know some programming by the end of my school year. What do you guys recommend for me as far as classes, college major, well basically my future?

Oh I'm also looking for a freelancing job too.. Photoshop, anyone?

My personal opinion is going into something such as Systems Admin or Network Eng. I would stay away from programming as a few of my friends have done that and it drives you crazy.

If you are all about the money then I say go for programming because you will make a ton of it. On the negative side, you are heavily depended on to have things churned out in a particular time frame. Not only that, but one line of code could muck up the entire program you are writing driving you nuts for hours trying to figure out what went wrong.

Next in line for $$$ is a Network Admin or System admin. You still have to work hard and long hours but typically a little more fun.

From my personal experience and my own set of mistakes, if attending a regular college, make sure there is some sort of specific track where you are physically touching AD, DNS, Exchange, etc… and troubleshooting in a network situation and not just theory. Get 1 or more internships where you will be doing the job you want.

If you know you def want to go into a particular field you may just want to go to a technical school where all they do is XYZ pc work. The negative site to this is your education may not be as well rounded.
DO’s: Be prepared to study for certifications (does not matter if you take them or not) night and day. You have to always be on top of new stuff; can be a real pain.

DO’s: Have a backup plan. Most people out of college change careers.

DON’T: Don’t expect your dream job right out of school but try to obtain a position as close to what you are looking for out of the box. My mistake was I majored in something completely different than IT and decided to go into IT. After 2 years of Phone Support and 8 years of deskside, I am finally in a major networking role. Granted I am still very young but if done differently I would be where I wanted to be 3-4 years ago.

You don't have enough information yet to decide what you want to do.

For instance, Flipper says 'don't be a programmer' .. and yet, most of my friends are developers and many of them love their jobs. Some really really hate their jobs. How can we tell which category you'll fit into? We can't.

Keep your options open. Take as many different classes as you can. Avoid the temptation to take easy classes for easy grades because it will only mean that you learn less.

Choose a good school that has several different programs that look interesting. I can assure you that you'll come out of college a very different person than you are now, so don't worry about finding your path right now ... just make sure that your feet keep moving.

I don't recall ever having the opportunity to take computer courses in High School. Consider yourself ahead of the game. Strong math skills will help you in any of the philosophies you mentioned.

Path
To choose a path you must first know your niche. Try not to rush it. To know your niche you must know what you like. Try not to let a base salary affect your decision. Its a trap and if it was the only concern then we would all be plumbers. Actual income depends on where you work and how well you do your job. To be good at your work you need to enjoy doing it. [Standby for Sponge Bob reference] Ever wonder why Crabby Patties are so good? To generalize, some folk are made for programming (its in our DNA). Others are made for networking and hardware.

School
A computer science degree at any major university will open a lot of doors. While you're pursuing your degree it doesn't hurt to work in the field. A note on trade colleges and certification programs: They look good on paper but are often too specific to give you the broad knowledge you'd need in the real world but are never a bad thing to have if the company is paying you to get one. College is a buffet line. Taste a couple of things and find out what you like. When you find your barebecue spare ribs then pile them up. Sorry for the metaphor.

The problem with 50% of the workforce is that they hate their jobs. This, however, should have a forum of its own. Find what you enjoy and do it. You'll be happier. If unsure about what you enjoy, try a few different things. I think that society puts a bit too much stipulation on "What do you want to do when you grow up?" How will we ever know until we try?

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-A "Folds@home"

I'm going to agree with Jip on this one.

When I first attended college (granted I'm first in) I wanted to be a Computer Science major. Well, eventually got tired of that and changed my major to Computer Information Systems. That was a little better, but still wasn't what I was looking for. I finally changed my major to Information Technology Service Management, which is more what I like to do. Now keep in mind I'm still in college but I've changed my major twice from Computer Science.

Chances are good that you will get into something and find out you don't like it as much as you thought.

I would recomend that you spend the next two years looking at Universities on-line [there web sites] to learn what majors are out there. I think you can go any route you want, and yes a lot of people change their major once they start. That being said I would encourage you to look at two fields of possible study 1] Enginnering 2]Programing. There is an overlap but do you want to design software or hardware.
Good luck.

talk to a college councilor. it helped me a ton.