[GRLUG] Is ITT Tech a Good School?

[Matt Michielsen]

On Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 9:03 AM, mooselikebriard <moosebriard at gmail.com> wrote:
> That's funny you mention wiping Windows.... 'cuz that's exactly what I did
> last summer on my main home desktop.  Windows bombed something just one too
> many times and I became fed up.  Crashes are job security at work.  Not what
> I want to deal with at home.  My thought was exactly the same.  Tear down
> Windows and stop dual booting Linux or never learn Linux (path of least
> resistance.)
>
> I will never look back but I feel behind the 8-ball.
> On Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 8:58 AM, Jonathon Klobucar
> <pilotplantpirate at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> On Feb 22, 2011, at 8:53 AM, Michael Mol wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 1:43 PM, mooselikebriard <moosebriard at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> It appears that Davenport is about $11,500/year (in seat, 12 cr
>>
>> hr/semester.)  ITT does not advertise their tuition rates, but the best of
>>
>> what I can find is around $44,000 for two years, or twice as much per year
>>
>> Seems odd to avoid publishing tuition rates which is part of my
>> apprehension
>>
>> surrounding ITT.  Thanks for the Davenport idea. They never occurred to me
>>
>> and they have a campus here in Kzoo where I live.
>>
>> I observe most institutions have one or two Unix/Linux classes in their BS
>>
>> programs.  Where can a person get schooled in those disciplines?  I am
>>
>> relatively new to the Linux world and am finding myself in some amount of
>>
>> awe at it's capability.  I use it frequently at my job to salvage Windows
>>
>> machines which to me says a lot (about Linux).  I have 20 years of
>> teaching
>>
>> myself Windows......a speedier route to learn Linux would be great.
>>
>> There are a lot of certification programs out there which compress
>> semester-long courses into one-week or three-day hands-on runs.
>>
>> linux+ is a place to start if you really really want a cert.
>>
>> At this stage, if you're considering spending the coin to go back to
>> school for a couple years, consider spending that same coin on a round
>> of certs and workshops. In the computer field, cert programs are
>> almost certainly going to be more up-to-speed on the industry than
>> college courses. (I've got an acquaintance who's taking a class
>> involving Fedora who has been having difficulty because the version of
>> Fedora they're using came out after their textbook)
>>
>> Also, the best way to learn to do anything right is to eat your own
>> dogfood the way the cat learned to swim*. Back up your Windows
>> install, wipe your system, install Linux and go to town learning how
>> to use it.
>>
>> Finally, there are a lot of good general knowledge books available on
>> just about any subject you want to pick up.
>>
>> Or take the slightly less insane route and wean yourself more slowly. :)
>>
>> * Don't you just _love_ mixed metaphors?
>>
>> --
>> :wq
>>
>> --

I graduated from ITT something like 6 years ago, although I went
through the Computer and Electronics Engineering program. I can't say
I would really recommend it. I only chose that place because I needed
a degree as fast as possible to increase my pay-scale and I got
reimbursed for most of the tuition. It's really expensive, something
like $30,000 for two years way back then.

There definitely is a lot to learn there, and I had some great
instructors, but I found it to be more like a technical middle school
than a college. Anybody who could pay the bills could have made it
through the classes with very little effort. During a lot of the
electronics labs, it seems like only about 25% of the class was really
even working on the projects.

I'd second Ben's self-education suggestion, especially for learning
how to use open source software. The internet is a great resource.

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