students...what are you studying in school?

[jefhatfield]

or what is your favorite class or subject?






in high school, my favorite class was marine biology and technical drawing for engineers

in college, i enjoyed geology the most

today, i take college classes for fun as a break in the week and on the serious end, i am chipping away at a commerce/business related computer science grad degree

and when that's all done, i will probably start over in some other field anticipating boredom:D

[daniel77]

my favorite right now is my social studies class and my spanish III class. next year will probably be Spanish IV which i am taking.

[job]

i'm real big in the social sciences.

i just finished A.P. American History this year. I took A.P. European History and A.P. Human Geography.

Next year I'll be in A.P. Economics and A.P. Government.

I plan on going to the State Department after I graduate from college, so I'm on the right track.

[jelloshotsrule]

film/tv

focus on animation (further focus on computer animation)

whoo

[chibianh]

working on my bs in engineering physics and masters in electrical engineering.

it's never fun to do the work, but physics is my thing.

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by hitman
i'm real big in the social sciences.

i just finished A.P. American History this year. I took A.P. European History and A.P. Human Geography.

Next year I'll be in A.P. Economics and A.P. Government.

I plan on going to the State Department after I graduate from college, so I'm on the right track.

i am former cia and then former dod

you are much too smart to work for the government/government slugs ;)

you can make better bucks working private sector or as an entrepreneur

i knew this guy, who while months away from his graduation from usc (with honors), voluntarily joined the marines in the early 70s as a private (after the draft was ended) and did several tours of combat in the jungles

he basically felt guilty of his upper middle class upbringing and elite college pedigree so he decided to take the most undesireable/dangerous job in the country at the time...jungle fighter in southeast asia

[vollspacken]

Originally posted by jefhatfield
or what is your favorite class or subject?


US college: political science major
at my german university (WWU münster): political science major, economics minor, public law minor

I'm graduating from college this may (muharharhar, they transfered all my credits from home, so it only took me one year...), after that I'll continue my studies at home...

[howard]

music

i enjoy the writing and the more tech classes

[scem0]

I'm a sophomore in HS right now, and my favorite subject would
have to be Computer Science. C++ is fun, despite being tough.
My teacher said it wasn't the best language to start off on, but
we are starting on C++ anyways. Next year is Java I think.

[Mal]

I'm a senior in HS, and I love my drama class and my government class.

JW

[Pismo]

I'm a junior in college majoring in CS. I'm starting to get burnt out with all of the programming and the thought of working in a cubicle for the rest of my life scares me.

I was watching LOTR Special Features last night and if I could do it all over again (and was somewhat aretistic), I would be doing computer animation and would want to work for ILM or WETA Digital if I felt like moving to New Zealand.

[job]

Originally posted by jefhatfield
i knew this guy, who while months away from his graduation from usc (with honors), voluntarily joined the marines in the early 70s as a private (after the draft was ended) and did several tours of combat in the jungles

I'm actually thinking about going to the Navy Reserve Intel along with the State Department.

Yah, the private sector probably gets more money, but I have to learn the tools of the trade first right? ;) :p

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by hitman
I'm actually thinking about going to the Navy Reserve Intel along with the State Department.

Yah, the private sector probably gets more money, but I have to learn the tools of the trade first right? ;) :p

it's not like the movies

when i was 21 i thought it was so cool to be doing russian spy/propaganda stuff but then i realized i could get killed really young..i had use of sports cars and unlimited air miles

dod was a lot safer since i was behind a desk, but it certainly was not some tom clancy book

the only thing i learned to do well was evade someone following me in a car and i used to trade notes with a kid whose dad was supposedly a pilot in the air force but was really a civilian spy working at some embassy abroad

with a very few exceptions, the federal government does not like young, ambitious, competent, smart people because the entire federal government is a very liberal/socialistic system which works well with administrators and protocol, and lots of red tape

seniority is rewarded, not merit so you have to "dumb down" considerably if in the service of the us federal government

but as a whole entity with its millions of people, there is no stronger force in the world to be dealt with than the us government...so pay your taxes...he he

though i am a democrat, i almost became a republican when bob dole and newt gingrich called for reduced government spending and reduced waste

and with the feds, there was plenty of that, regardless of the department:D

[job]

I've been examining the job positions on the State Department website for a while now.

I am highly interested in becoming a Foreign Service Officer. Perhaps a possible political liason or something.

Safety is a concern, but the State Department is more low key, less action than most government agencies.

If I wanted action stuff I'd go to the CIA, sell my soul, and become a spy. ;)

Besides, if I go ahead with my planned major of either International Business or International Law, then I'm not nessecarily tied to the government. I could after a few years with the State Department, work in the private sector like you suggested.

[hesdeadjim]

I'm studying Bio-Medical Engineering right now in College (3rd year). Hope to go to grad school or do a 5 year master's plan here.

[hesdeadjim]

Originally posted by Pismo
I'm a junior in college majoring in CS. I'm starting to get burnt out with all of the programming and the thought of working in a cubicle for the rest of my life scares me.

I was watching LOTR Special Features last night and if I could do it all over again (and was somewhat aretistic), I would be doing computer animation and would want to work for ILM or WETA Digital if I felt like moving to New Zealand.

It's really not too late if you wanted to try. You could always start out by just doing some programming for CGI stuff.

[mc68k]

i'm doing computer science. i h8 all my classes. hard for me to imagine that ppl think a degree actually means anything about competence.

[damax452]

I'm a senior in Mechanical Engineering at a US university. I dont like it very much. Oh well.

[wdlove]

I like biology, anatomy & physiology, microbiology, & nursing. Found the classes challenging, but very interesting!

[Nuc]

I go my BS in Nuclear Engineering, looking for a job right now but no luck..... Probably will be going back to get my MS.

My favorite classes were nuclear materials, math, then fuel cycles. Something on that order.

[timbloom]

3rd year freshman, currently open-option as my declared major! I RULE!

Ha, well actually I dropped out of college for a while to work as an AppleCare tech.... Much more interesting than College Algebra, I can tell you that. But eventually got fed up with dealing with the same problems all the time.. I HATE iMacs now.

Anyways, back to school for me, but reminding me every day why I left.

[King Cobra]

Now, I am working on AP Calculus 1, AP Chemistry, Honors Physics, and a few other courses I consider minor to my career.

My favorites have been AP Calc and, surprisingly, the only course I had with a recently retired Science teacher, which was Biology.

Almost anything with Math (at least 90 percent of its content) is enjoyable to me.

[Steradian]

Well currently my favorite class is English. Our class is very small 12 people including myself, and our teacher is very experianced and has a similar since of humor...so things are good for me :)
Currently I am In all I.B. Class except my T.A period... O Common Shadowfax help out here man IBer's UNITE!!!
Learn about I.B. Here (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15664&highlight=International+shadowfax)

[cr2sh]

I took my LAST final this afternoon at 3:30. Yes, that's right.. today, cr2sh finished college. I can't tell you how good it feels, walking out there.. I wanted to scream, I'm so happy. Even now my mind hasn't quite realized.. I'm done. :) I can say it, but I don't believe it.

[Dignan]

Linguistics 80: Dialects of English

Most fun you will have in 50 minutes

Runner up: Religion 1513: History of Harvard

For the snide remarks the teacher makes and the drawings on the board.


Im a soph, and I still dont know my major. D'oh.

[Spike Spiegel]

Right now I am an unspecified art major, with intentions to move into electronic imaging.

[cr2sh]

Originally posted by Spike Spiegel
electronic imaging.
active or passive?

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by cr2sh
I took my LAST final this afternoon at 3:30. Yes, that's right.. today, cr2sh finished college. I can't tell you how good it feels, walking out there.. I wanted to scream, I'm so happy. Even now my mind hasn't quite realized.. I'm done. :) I can say it, but I don't believe it.

congrats, dude!!!

..when i finished college, i ran around the track and matched my high school time:p

i can't remember back to high school, but i think that must have also been great... like getting set free from prison:D

the cool thing about finishing high school is that you can start the rest of your life as a working person from that pint on...while going thru K-12 is really a lot of work and increasingly so towards the latter grades, one does not get paid a red cent

there is something really satisfying about seeing one's first 40 hour paycheck and that money seems like more money than you have likely seen for one week...and just think, you get to get that paycheck every week thereafter

i had a friend who joined the air force after high school, and since he had his food and rent completely paid for there...he just went hogwild and bought so many toys...new ford mustang, motorcycle, high end hunting rifle...it certainly beat his ten dollar or so weekly allowance living at home as a kid

[FelixDerKater]

University:

Majors: German, Spanish

Other favorite courses: Italian, Chinese, Hebrew, French

[dotcomlarry]

Working towards Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication, emphasis on Media Production.

[the_ron]

I'm a junior in high school. Almost all of the classes I take are for college credit. My favorite class is Honors Biology. The teacher even has a Mac! My other favorite class is choir. Our teacher has been at our school for fourty years and he's great.

[Macpoops]

I'm a Junior and Currently a Digital Media Production/Communication. Originally i was just a DM major but eventually realized that production was just part of the equation and that you need something to do. Having the tools is only half of it you need the ideas first.

[onetime]

By Christmas I'll have an associate's degree in Computer Graphics Design, but I honestly don't think that alone will earn me squat.. I would be better off making a career of my current job.

So I definatly need more school. Problem with this degree is that all I've learned is 2D stuff, like brochures and page layout. Very.. well, Boring..

I've been interested in 3D modeling and animation for a long time now. Anything that comes out of ILM (http://www.ilm.com) or Pixar, etc.. I would die to create.

I've been looking for some decent schools on the west coast that teach Maya. There should be plenty. I'm dying to specialize in Maya, so maybe you know of any schools that do so?

I've found Gnomon3D (http://www.gnomon3d.com) in L.A. which looks the most appealing so far. There's also Collins College (http://www.collinscollege.com) in Tempe, AZ which I'm worried may also be a tad bland also. Lastly, Oregon3D (http://www.oregon3d.com) doesn't even offer a certificate. Seems more the place for people in the industry to stay up-to-date. If anyone has heard of or attended these schools or any others that use Maya, PLEASE let me know! Thanks in advance.

[Macpoops]

Maya is one of those courses thats very cutting edge at the moment. Don't get me wrong here i am not saying that maya itself is so new that there are no classes for it there are. What i am saying is that the program itself is so dense that few colleges have taken the time to go out and actively learn it so they can teach it to their students properly. Personally my school's DM department just spent a load of money getting maya licenses for one of the mac labs along with all the learning materials Alias-Wavefront puts out. And By the way the instructional DVDs are horrible. All they really did was videotape some Maya Conferences. Most of which are designers rambling about how they did something then haphazardly going through them.

I took the first run of the 3D Animation class here unfortunatly we were experimental and didn't get far into the program. Since then i have been trying to teach myself but given my lack of free time and lack of patiences i have had little time to mess with it. Maybe i'll save it for the summer

[hacurio1]

I'm working towards a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. At the beginning I wanted to be an engineer so I took a lot of math courses (i.e. Calculus I, Calculus II, Calculus III) Although I Can’t complain because math has helped me a lot. I’m a junior, and next semester I’ll transfer to UIUC (University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign) By the end of this semester I’ll also get my A.S. on Graphic Design. As they motioned above “it’s kind of boring,” but I managed to take some 3d courses, like lightwave, and some video and multimedia curses, like Director and After Effects. My Community College doesn’t have many Macs, even worst; they have Dells with XP, Aughhhh. Can’t wait to get out of it:mad:

[wdlove]

Originally posted by onetime
By Christmas I'll have an associate's degree in Computer Graphics Design, but I honestly don't think that alone will earn me squat.. I would be better off making a career of my current job.

So I definatly need more school. Problem with this degree is that all I've learned is 2D stuff, like brochures and page layout. Very.. well, Boring..

I've been interested in 3D modeling and animation for a long time now. Anything that comes out of ILM (http://www.ilm.com) or Pixar, etc.. I would die to create.

I've been looking for some decent schools on the west coast that teach Maya. There should be plenty. I'm dying to specialize in Maya, so maybe you know of any schools that do so?

I've found Gnomon3D (http://www.gnomon3d.com) in L.A. which looks the most appealing so far. There's also Collins College (http://www.collinscollege.com) in Tempe, AZ which I'm worried may also be a tad bland also. Lastly, Oregon3D (http://www.oregon3d.com) doesn't even offer a certificate. Seems more the place for people in the industry to stay up-to-date. If anyone has heard of or attended these schools or any others that use Maya, PLEASE let me know! Thanks in advance.

Hi onetime, welcome to Mac Forum, hope you will enjoy posting. There are a lot here with vast knowledge that can be helpful.

What is your current job?

[jelloshotsrule]

Originally posted by Macpoops
Maya is one of those courses thats very cutting edge at the moment. Don't get me wrong here i am not saying that maya itself is so new that there are no classes for it there are. What i am saying is that the program itself is so dense that few colleges have taken the time to go out and actively learn it so they can teach it to their students properly. Personally my school's DM department just spent a load of money getting maya licenses for one of the mac labs along with all the learning materials Alias-Wavefront puts out. And By the way the instructional DVDs are horrible. All they really did was videotape some Maya Conferences. Most of which are designers rambling about how they did something then haphazardly going through them.


many schools teach 3D in maya based classes.

it's not so much colleges "going out and learning" maya, as much as finding professors who know it and will teach it... adjuncts or otherwise.

i haven't seen the dvds, but supposedly some are great and some are crap. how many did you watch?

[hugemullens]

2 years to go and i have my BS in Mechanical Engineering!!! YAY!!! is i never use another solaris system again, life will be good.............

[onetime]

Originally posted by wdlove
What is your current job?

Actually, there's good reason to be embarrassed by my current employment.

The reason, you ask? I am currently employed for Dell Computers for over a year now. That's the reason.

While it's not the first thing I wish for the MacRumors community to know, you asked, so I tell you (plus it's in my bio..;)

See, it's a fairly small town.. about 40,000. There's car lots, payday loan offices, restaurants, a community college and that's about it. Oh, plus cows.

Then Dell comes along and says we'll pay you at least twice your grocery job that you hate so much, bend your college over and shove our computers up their asses.. Yeah, the school has a few G4s, but 256MB RAM? C'mon. At least they keep up with the Dells that have triple that, right? (except in premiere)

So here I am, Technical Support. I'll be here for another year or so, until I find another school. Let's just say that I'm the only Macintosh user at work... I must say that I perform very well, especially for a fulltime college student +40 hours in a call center. I can go off about how cheap their components are, and all the nightmarish scenarios that they drag their customers through.. but you've probably heard it from your coworkers and classmates already.

I'll say that Dell is at or has passed their peak. And if customers ask if I own a Dell, I tell them. If they ask what I use, I tell them. I try to let them see that there are options while keeping a handsome paycheck at the same time. It's a highlight to get one who's purchased an iPod; a good oppurtunity for conversation. Many customers are very frustrated by being misled and ripped off by Dell, but those who don't seem to know better couldn't be happier. And I don't feel guilty bashing windows... After all, that's a microsoft product. In closing I reiterate the fact that I've never owned another machine (besides Apple).

As for Maya, that sucks the dvds are crap.. I might still try one though. But if anyone has a link to GOOD dvds on maya that would be cool. The whole 'maya school' thing seems pretty dismal at this point considering it's all so new. But one will turn up if it hasn't already. What better place than ToonTown/Hollywood to become an animator, right?

[irmongoose]

I'm a freshman in HS... hate all the classes. Yeah, all.

GET ME THE FU** OUTTA HERE.




irmongoose

[NavyIntel007]

University of Miami,
Major: Computer Science
Minor: Mathematics

Career: Naval Intelligence Officer

[agreenster]

Schools that teach Maya:

Academy of Art College
Art Center College of Design
Art Institute of Chicago
California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
New York University
Parsons School of Design
Pratt Institute
Ringling School of Art and Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rochester Institute of Technology
San Francisco State University
Savannah College of Art and Design
School of Communication Arts
School of Visual Arts
Sheridan College
UCLA
University of Southern California
Vancouver Film School
Vancouver Institute of Media Arts


I went to a smaller school than these and had two years of Maya. Now I work as an animator. I use Maya all day long, then go home and use it some more. I am constantly in a learning state, because there is always more to learn.

The trick is though, dont expect to be a good animator without sacrificing lots and lots of time. Chances are, while your friends are out at the bars all night, you'll be in the lab. Also, dont forget, if you aren't an artist or actor at heart, you wont make much of an animator. If you are more interested in the technical side of it: ie- rendering, particles, dynamics, etc, consider being an effects animator or TD. (technical director)

Good luck!

[comrade]

Digital Media Major. Learning a little of music production, graphic design, web design, and basic computer info.

[scem0]

Originally posted by FelixDerKater
University:

Majors: German, Spanish

Other favorite courses: Italian, Chinese, Hebrew, French

you should take Latin, if you haven't already. It would be a snap
to learn, because it is related to so many languages (Spanish,
Italian, and French are romance languages), and it would help
you learn all your languages.

[Royal Pineapple]

lets see,
U.S. History
Woman's Lit.
Advanced Professional Photography
Geometry
Physics
Advanced Professional Photography again

my favorites have gotta be photo

[idkew]

i have very little time left in college. right now i am studying as little as possible.

i just want to get the hell out of here.

[iMook]

I'm a senior in HS, and currently doing a dual-enrollment program with Univ. of MI. So, half of my day is spent at UM. I plan to major in Theoretical Physics, then either go for law or business in grad school. I'd like to think that I like Physics 406 (Stat & Thermo) the best, but I'm leaning more towards my Honors Calc III class, mainly because it's easy.:D

Current classes:
Physics 406
Math 255
Acting
Engineering & Design
AP Literature

[dreamlance]

I'm a senior in college in Louisiana studying photography.

And I deeply envy cr2sh :)

[leprechaunG4]

Sophmore at Champlain College, woohoo for tiny Vermont private college. Somebody earlier said they were from a small town of 40,000. DUDE that's a big city as far as I'm concerned. My home town total population = 7,000.

My major is Computer Network Administration. Basically not the typical computer major for MACs, but I'm an open minded guy so I'm giving this 12" PB a try and liking it.

Last semester I took a course in Computer Forensics and I loved it. I went a little over kill with the course. We had an assignment to examine a drive for one pice of data that pertained to a case being used as a nation wide competition for law enforcement, well I found the small piece of data but couldn't stop. I ended up solving the entire case and writing up a report of evidence that would have definatley convicted the criminal. My profs were quite impressed, especially the Police Officer. I just found out from my faculty advisor (who happened to be the other proffesor of that course) that they are going to have a Computer Forensics major starting here next year. Now I will have to give some serious thought about my major. I have always wanted to do something to better the world, and this could be a good way for me to use my strong computer skills for the betterment of society.

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by scem0
you should take Latin, if you haven't already. It would be a snap
to learn, because it is related to so many languages (Spanish,
Italian, and French are romance languages), and it would help
you learn all your languages.

chinese and hebrew too? ;) :p

I'm going to major in CS, but i tend to be better at non-math fields; calculus has been a real eye opener though, love that class.

Oddly, i have taken 5 AP tests, and got a 5 on only 2--US and European history. 4 on CS, English (gr), and Physics B.

i think my favorite class has been AP US, but Calculus is very quickly rivaling it, as we have about the best teacher i have ever seen in my life.

[RBMaraman]

I'm a Sophomore Mass Communication major, Business Administration minor.

I work part-time for my video production professor's production company. Going out on shoots has made me realize I'd much rather be an editor than a director.

It's funny how you can enter college thinking you know exactly what you want to do in life, then a year later you totally change directions.

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by RBMaraman
I'm a Sophomore Mass Communication major, Business Administration minor.

I work part-time for my video production professor's production company. Going out on shoots has made me realize I'd much rather be an editor than a director.

It's funny how you can enter college thinking you know exactly what you want to do in life, then a year later you totally change directions.

changing directions is part of the process for many college students

i originally entered college studying general business because i wanted to major in something easy (and practical) that would not require a lot of math (like engineering) or a lot of reading (like english)

in my junior year, i went against my mathematical aptitude and became a creative writing english major...i had the passion to write but not the writing skills...so i ditched that...i knew i would never make a living as a novelist

so i went back to business school as a junior and finished up in the personnel management discipline

when i entered graduate school, the creative side i left behind made me study the management of arts and entertainment...but again i was wondering how in the world i would make a living out of that

so i started a tax business with my roomate and switched to being a grad tax major...then she moved away so i went back to studying being a manager (mba) in the arts and entertainment field

so then i am on track to complete that major, then the school goes through major budget cuts and discontinues the major and steamlines the entire curriculum of a lot of majors

so now here i am with a lot of unspecified graduate school units...but over the past several years in the meantime, i have been steadily working as a computer tech with my own business so i will (hopefully) put my units together with a few cs classes and get my master's in cs/telcom mgt

...so when a person first enters school, they are often just looking for a field...and once they have been in the working field for a few years, and if they decide to go on to a higher degree, it is often less what one wants and more what one can do to maintain and further their career

but now that i have been a techie for several years, i now realize i could have studied something more fun than business subjects...i would have loved to have finished up as a creative writing major (just for fun) or as a history major since i enjoy that subject

i do have a friend who got their bachelor's for the reason of having an occupational skill, but when she found herself being a housewife, then she decided to get a master's degree in something fun that she wanted to study to enrich her life

so school is all about choices...do you want to enrich your life? pursue your interests? or get vocaltional training for a job/career?

it is very rare that only one degree can fit all those criteria

[crassusad44]

Right now I'm studying Political Sience, 2nd semester. Will probably start on my bachelor in Media Sience (not sure what the english equalent is) next semester.