computer engineering

Unfortunately, this question is now rather old, so I imagine the original poster has moved on to that career. But as for those of us today and those looking for the same information, I can tell you what I've learned after 30-40 years as a computer engineer. The fact is that computer engineering is everywhere. There are very few schools that would tolerate having someone on staff who is not already very familiar with computer tech because it is so pervasive and well known. So you really can't go wrong. Whatever you learn in one school, you'll hear all the "scuttlebutt", as they say, about whether a particular class is well-received or a particular school is more successful at placing candidates. So just dive in.

Another thing is that computer engineering education is available on-line everywhere for free. The only limiting factor is your own will to use it.

Computer engineering will also introduce you to a wide variety of the applications for that technology, so you will be presented with a whole bunch of opportunities to specialize.

Another great thing is that computer technology is everywhere and cheap. In my early education, there were mainframes and big minis and you worked on them at, well, work. As time went on, everyone could afford a Unix or Linux or Mac or PC and now everyone can afford an Arduino or get open source software to support Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning applications, like Tensorflow or Keras.

You really can't go wrong. Just dive in.

I can't speak to the education system in South Africa, because that's not where I grew up, but I can offer some suggestions for starting your career in computer engineering.

Academically, you're going to have to excel in Math and Science (particularly physics). Both math and physics are a big part of computer engineering, so if you're not satisfied with your math or science skills yet, you should start investing in that now.

Extracurricularly, you should absolutely be a part of any engineering, computer, or science related clubs and programs you can get access to. Most of the programs will be with other students, but it will also be beneficial to find programs that put you in contact with real or amateur computer engineers in your community. these extracurriculars will be critical for your college applications. As an aside, you will almost surely need to go to college, and you should be aware that not all schools provide computer engineering majors.

Perhaps most importantly, you should start developing real experience. If you haven't already, you need to start playing with circuits, writing software, and working on projects that you can use to improve your college applications and appeal to employers. Get into programming. Take free online engineering courses on www.Coursera.org or www.EdX.org. Start experimenting with Arduino. Save up (or make) some money to spend on engineering kits from vendors like www.sparkfun.com