Computer engineering high school class suggestions

Computer engineering, like other branches of engineering, is a creative discipline. When you do it well you will bring together ideas from many fields. The most skillful of my colleagues know a lot of math and logic, and they know a lot about storytelling. Why? Because good software for people engages them as if they were telling their stories.

For example, take a look at this Career Village website. Also, for example, take a look at the online product called Turbo Tax. Both persuade people to tell their stories. That's what most good software does.

You're from Kansas City ... take a look at your neighbor Sprint's web site. In my opinion, it's a confusing mess. It demands that Sprint's customers (of which I am one) figure out Sprint's story rather than telling their own stories. "Reach out and touch someone?" Not Sprint's slogan!

So, as you finish high school, don't neglect math, statistics, and physics. And don't neglect the subjects that take you through peoples' stories: history, literature, and psychology.

Good engineers also know how to express themselves clearly. Look at some engineering job ads sometime. They all call for "written and spoken communications skills." That's because successful engineers are excellent at persuading other people to accept their ideas. (The stereotype that engineers are socially awkward illiterates is not true.) So, practice speaking and writing clearly. You have high school teachers whose lives are dedicated to helping you do that.

If you get a chance to take a programming course, take it. If you get a chance to work on some extracurricular programming project, take it. At the same time, take advantage of high school's mission to teach you history, literature, math, and science. Learn about many things.

It depends upon what your high school offers. It shouldn't really matter that much - learning before you get to college will only affect the difficulty of the first semester because of the differences between American style high school teaching and University teaching (e.g., faster, more information, less support, more challenging tests).