Wise Advice Needed

Community Bar Sport
1

I am looking to enroll in TAFE (Australian vocational education institution) next year.
My dream is to become a micro-controller hardware developer (or similar job).
I was thinking about starting with this course:

Going on to this:

And finally this:

Does anyone have some words of wisdom on this?

NOTE:
I am not rich and cannot afford expensive courses until I have a well paying job.
Please don't suggest expensive courses or Universities, though I would love to go that way, I cannot. I do not even have a high school certificate.

3

Those are some good thoughts...
I'm not so much keen on the programming as I am on the actual hardware design (ie. the PCBs). Is that something I can get into without any degrees?

4

Are you saying you will start these courses in a year, or are these something available now over the internet and you will start at home now ?

5

I would be starting at the next intake which would be in January/Febuaury

6

In person or over the internet ?

7

Digital (ie Internet)

8

Also agree that you should master programming.

Not necessarily writing apps … but making hardware sit up and bar like a dog :slight_smile:

This is good, however, highly recommend attending: technical school/community college/university.

9

Yes, the cert 3 and Diploma/Advanced Diploma are on campus. The cert 2 is digital which is good because I need a job while I study.

I don't disagree about the programming, however I'm not interested in that for a career

12

Which languages do you suggest?

I know C++, a little python, a little java, and a little https.

14

If I was your age, and just starting out, I would get into medicine with electronics on the side as a hobby.

But that’s me :thinking:

15

That's a storm starting thought...
I'd love to do medicine. My dream as a little boy was to be a surgeon. However, personally, I couldn't.
A.) Mandatory vaccines (I haven't been vaccinated since I was 3 and I wish to keep it that way)
B.) The medical world is full of moral issues I would not be able to accept because of my personal beliefs.
C.) I have three generations of medical people in my ancestory. I'd love to keep that going.
D.) Medical stuff is absolutely awesome and enthralling!

This is not a dig at anyone, this is my personal opinion. I don't care what anyone else does!! :wink:

16

I think you would make a great eye surgeon.

:face_with_peeking_eye:

17

May I suggest you spend quite a bit of time on the fundamentals, like chemistry and physics to give you an understanding of WHY something happens.

19

I guess you could be a program surgeon or an electronics surgeon…….

20

I would encourage you to also go ahead and get your high school certificate. I don’t know what the procedure is in Australia and it might be complicated by personal circumstances. I seem to recall you saying that you are home schooled. At any rate, if in parallel with starting vocational training you could finish the requirements for high school certification I encourage it.

I suggest this because as you get older, goals and ambitions change and if you decide in a few years that a more formal higher education is what you want then you’ll be better prepared to achieve that. Doing it now is far easier than when you are 25 or 30.

21

In QLD where I did school, the government terminates your education when you turn 17. You don't get a high school certificate.

As soon as I get my first certificate, it won't matter. I can get a certificate without a HSC anyway.