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Geek Culture / University of Advancing Technology?

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That1Smart Guy
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Posted: 9th Jul 2011 00:39
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Hey guys, I am a high school junior and am starting to seriously consider colleges. One school in particular just stands out to me. It's called the University of Advancing Technology (UAT), and seems to be the ultimte geek school (meant as a compliment).

I was just wondering if anyone else had heard of, visited, or even studied at this school and could promote it, demote it, or even just tell me about it. Thanks in advance.

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heyufool1
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Posted: 9th Jul 2011 01:45 Edited at: 9th Jul 2011 01:50
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I haven't heard of it until I read this thread, but when I googled it one of the suggestions/auto complete searches was "University of Advancing Technology scam". That first off didn't sound too promising, and when I continued the search it seems that there are a lot of upset people with UAT. Of course I can't agree or disagree with them for I never experienced the school, but generally I would think that if a school is being accused of scams and what not then it probably isn't a good choice. I'm sure it's not TERRIBLE, but if I were you I would go to a more reputable school. Check this forum thread that I read for some... less supportive opinions of UAT.

Also, as a general rule of thumb, you want to stay away from "Game Design" schools. At least in the programming section. I don't know what you necessary want to major in, but if you want to be a game programmer in the future then I would suggest majoring in Computer Science. That way you learn all of the programming (and more) that you would in a game programming course and you would have a much larger job search. The game industry is hard to get in to so it's not good to limit yourself. Also, many job applications for places with Blizzard, Bethesda, etc. require a bachelor's degree in Computer Science for any programming job, not Game Design/Game Programming/or whatever.

"So hold your head up high and know. It's not the end of the road"
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That1Smart Guy
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Posted: 9th Jul 2011 02:49 Edited at: 9th Jul 2011 02:53
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thanks for the advice. I do want to go into game programming, however i dont want to be locked into typing ONLY code as my job. My ultimate goal is to be the guy on the programming staff that if one of the graphics artists is out sick or the guy on 3D modelling is on vacation, I can take their job for a day to keep production flowing. I want to be a jack-of-all-trades in game design, because the more you are qualified to do in the field, the more valuable you are to a company and the more likely you are to hold a job.

and I plan on AT LEAST getting my bachelor's in Computer Science (I had already picked that as my major), but I would not be opposed to sticking around for my master's.

Thanks again for the advice!

edit after reading forum:

whoa. that is literally the FIRST i've ever heard of it being a scam or a useless college. seriously everything i've read or seen about them has made it sound like the PERFECT college for a geek...but then most of what i've read has been sent to me from the college....yeah. but anyway thats gotten me curious. to google i go!!
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heyufool1
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Posted: 9th Jul 2011 02:56
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Quote: "but anyway thats gotten me curious. to google i go!!"

Haha That's probably a good idea!

"So hold your head up high and know. It's not the end of the road"
Switch Game Engine
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GIDustin
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Posted: 9th Jul 2011 03:30 Edited at: 9th Jul 2011 03:32
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I actually attended UAT!! I took 2 semesters of online classes. I transferred in many generals so I started on programming classes first semester.

So, I took my first programming class called "Programming Basics". It was taught by Jonathan Harbour (DarkBasic Textbook). I loved the class and learned sooo much from it. Our "final" was to create a game, any game, that worked. I created "advanced singleplayer pong", where you have a paddle on the top and bottom controlled by the left and right keys, and paddles on the left and right controlled by the up and down keys. You bounce the ball around the screen on your own, collect powerups, etc. It had music, sounds, a high score list, but wasn't a huge breakthrough or anything.

The next class after that was quite the opposite. The entire course centered around one assignment: "Please buy unreal tournament 2, split into groups of 5, and create a Mod for the game that changes the vehicles, weapons, physics, gameplay modes, 3D models, and includes several maps designed for multiplayer balance". Uh, what? So I just learned a bit of DarkBasic and now you want me to make a Mod for a game using some other language entirely? After 3 weeks of trying to learn the programming language (on my own since there was no book), my team assigned me to make maps and the 3D models contained in them. Since we didn't have a 3D modelling course yet, I just dropped out.

What I learned from UAT is that DarkBasic was an easy to learn language that had great potential, which is why I am here today.

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That1Smart Guy
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Posted: 9th Jul 2011 03:58
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Quote: "What I learned from UAT is that DarkBasic was an easy to learn language that had great potential"

i didnt need a college course to teach me that

but thats really interesting, i imagine that taking classes from a real professor face to face would help tremendously. thats one area UAT brags: their small, personal class size and experienced, knowledgeable professors.

So far the few bad reviews have yet to sway me. they sound to me like a handful of bad situations, possibly exageratted by incompetence and misunderstanding on the student's part. A college with the motto "geek'ed at birth" sounds like a compliment rather than the childish joke the reviews claim it is. in this modern society, technology is as much a part of the family as the family pet. and i literally was a geek at birth, i was using the computer before i could run.

I shall continue to do more research, and i hope this great TGC community will help me in my college guidance.
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Plystire
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Posted: 9th Jul 2011 04:18
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Quote: "but I would not be opposed to sticking around for my master's."


I tried for my master's in Comp Sci... it's mostly upper management stuff that you'll be learning. How to be a project manager, make timelines for projects, things like that. If you're not all about the coding, that may be the kind of thing for you, but it wasn't for me. I believe in maintaining a job that you just love doing, and I do not love paperwork.


You should seriously consider taking a walk-around this college and seeing what it has to offer first-hand, ask questions about class content, varying courses, etc. before coming to a final decision. You will be spending lots of money on college, so it'd be wise to make a good decision from the get go.


~Plystire

A rose is only a rose until it is held and cherished -- then it becomes a treasure.
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That1Smart Guy
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Posted: 9th Jul 2011 06:09
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one step ahead of you Ply. i have already booked an overnight campus tour in november
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Plystire
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Posted: 9th Jul 2011 09:35
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Excellent! I hope it helps you in finding that deciding factor.


~Plystire

A rose is only a rose until it is held and cherished -- then it becomes a treasure.
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Fallout
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Posted: 9th Jul 2011 17:30
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Quote: "I want to be a jack-of-all-trades in game design, because the more you are qualified to do in the field, the more valuable you are to a company and the more likely you are to hold a job."


Just to pick you up on that, I'm not sure if that works in the real world. For a small indi team with 3 or 4 people, that WOULD be valuable. For a larger company, they want people who are 100% dedicated to mastering their respective skill. So if you watered down your programming in favour of being good at modelling, sound, and 2D as well, you might find you're less attractive to companies.

However, if you want to be an indi and make games by yourself, then that's obviously the right way to go.

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That1Smart Guy
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Posted: 9th Jul 2011 21:39 Edited at: 9th Jul 2011 21:40
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hmmmm...i hadnt considered that. interesting POV on that fallout. but regardless of whether i am in an indi compnay or a large corporation, i would like to know the other areas a bit so i can be literate in communicating to my team mates about what i want/need done. I like to fully understand all the work that goes into a project so i can really appreciate the final result.

and as far as programming mastery goes, I've been coding since my 7th grade year, and doing it in c++ since my freshman year.....add that experience to a master's degreee in computer science and an impressive portfolio or sample work...i think im safe in securing a programming job
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Quik
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Posted: 9th Jul 2011 22:25
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having a basic knowledge is different from delving into intermediate position ^_^ i can program an calculator in C++, and i can put graphics in motion in flash + a bit of basic javascript

but i dont know any more than that, however I have a basic understanding on how it works, if someone were to show me a code, i probably wouldnt understand TOO much, but it would indeed be easier to explain it to me, than to a complete newbie

and for the record, I am a man.

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Fallout
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Posted: 9th Jul 2011 22:53
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Quote: "i would like to know the other areas a bit so i can be literate in communicating to my team mates about what i want/need done"


Yeah, that's the right way to go imo. Understand their jobs so you can better cooperate with them and understand their problems.

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That1Smart Guy
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Posted: 10th Jul 2011 02:51
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Exactly. Knowledge = Power....unless your best friend told you he murdered someone and that you would likely be submitted to a polygraph test....then knowledge isnt such a good thing
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Plystire
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Posted: 10th Jul 2011 04:15
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Quote: "unless your best friend told you he murdered someone and that you would likely be submitted to a polygraph test....then knowledge isnt such a good thing"


That would just make my best friend stupid, because he should know very well that I'd turn him in.


~Plystire

A rose is only a rose until it is held and cherished -- then it becomes a treasure.
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That1Smart Guy
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Posted: 10th Jul 2011 05:31
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Quote: "That would just make my best friend stupid, because he should know very well that I'd turn him in. "

That1Smart Guy likes this.
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