Introduce yourself / Roll call 2011-2012

theGavin · 19-07-2012 12:09am

marko93 wrote: »

Hope to start 1st Year Computing by September, how is it?

It's both fun and interesting if you enjoy programming , or if you have a big interest in computers. Otherwise, you're gonna have a bad time.

marko93 · 21-07-2012 12:07am

theGavin wrote: »

It's both fun and interesting if you enjoy programming , or if you have a big interest in computers. Otherwise, you're gonna have a bad time.

Big interest in computers there, told myself I'd try learn some Java this summer but never got around to doing so.

So, as long as I pay attention and put the work in, I'll be fine?

TheReverend · 21-07-2012 12:55am

marko93 wrote: »

Big interest in computers there, told myself I'd try learn some Java this summer but never got around to doing so.

So, as long as I pay attention and put the work in, I'll be fine?

yeah you will, first few weeks are pretty simple, introducing basic concepts, then you actually get to play around with code

marko93 · 21-07-2012 1:25am

TheReverend wrote: »

yeah you will, first few weeks are pretty simple, introducing basic concepts, then you actually get to play around with code

Sounds great, pretty excited. Just waiting for the ole results CAO now.

TheReverend · 21-07-2012 1:33am

marko93 wrote: »

Sounds great, pretty excited. Just waiting for the ole results CAO now.

Good luck with em man :P, just put in the work, some subjects are boring, not gonna lie, but just deal with em and remember better things lie ahead :P

theGavin · 21-07-2012 2:08pm

marko93 wrote: »

Sounds great, pretty excited. Just waiting for the ole results CAO now.

Also, make friends early on. There's loads of group work early on. It also helps in year 2 when you program a big-ish project, as you'll need to work in a group you know and trust.

marko93 · 21-07-2012 6:15pm

TheReverend wrote: »

Good luck with em man :P, just put in the work, some subjects are boring, not gonna lie, but just deal with em and remember better things lie ahead :P

theGavin wrote: »

Also, make friends early on. There's loads of group work early on. It also helps in year 2 when you program a big-ish project, as you'll need to work in a group you know and trust.

Thanks for the advice lads, will keep it in mind.

Never actually been to ITT, does it have a gym for students? :pac:

Hope you don't mind me picking your brains for answers :P

theGavin · 21-07-2012 6:16pm

marko93 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice lads, will keep it in mind.

Never actually been to ITT, does it have a gym for students? :pac:

Hope you don't mind me picking your brains for answers :P

It's no bother, ask away!

No, the college doesn't have a gym, but there are a couple of local gyms. One (the Arena gym) is just down the road.

TheReverend · 21-07-2012 6:17pm

marko93 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice lads, will keep it in mind.

Never actually been to ITT, does it have a gym for students? :pac:

Hope you don't mind me picking your brains for answers :P

There are a few local gyms around, but no the college itself doesn't have one

marko93 · 21-07-2012 6:45pm

theGavin wrote: »

It's no bother, ask away!

No, the college doesn't have a gym, but there are a couple of local gyms. One (the Arena gym) is just down the road.

TheReverend wrote: »

There are a few local gyms around, but no the college itself doesn't have one

Cheers!

Have a gym membership till the end of September, hence the question

What about college grounds, how many pitches, are there many groups/clubs/sports teams etc.

Eating wise, is there much on offer if I fancied treating myself every so often?

Are all the computers up to date? (heard D.I.T has awful computers, this is why I'm asking)

Any do's and donts you suggest?

theGavin · 21-07-2012 6:55pm

What about college grounds, how many pitches, are there many groups/clubs/sports teams etc.

Yeah, there's a pitch or two and a good few teams; football ; rugby ;etc

Eating wise, is there much on offer if I fancied treating myself every so often?

There's the cafietera , but the food is rotten. There's a spar around the corner, a centra too and the square, which has burger king, mcdonalds and others.

Are all the computers up to date? (heard D.I.T has awful computers, this is why I'm asking)

The computers are quite up to date, especially in room 216. They're grand to work on. But , finding an empty lab will be very difficult before 5pm. (Some days may differ)

Any do's and donts you suggest?

Hmmmm. Try go to class as much as possible, but that might not happen, some classes are boring as feck. DON'T annoy Howell, he'll be your software developer lecturer, and he's really good at what he does.

TheReverend · 21-07-2012 7:24pm

marko93 wrote: »

Cheers!

Have a gym membership till the end of September, hence the question

What about college grounds, how many pitches, are there many groups/clubs/sports teams etc.

Eating wise, is there much on offer if I fancied treating myself every so often?

Are all the computers up to date? (heard D.I.T has awful computers, this is why I'm asking)

Any do's and donts you suggest?

The college has loads of clubs, from football to archery.

College canteen is muck, but there are some nice places in the square.

Most computers are pretty nice dell/lenevo with i7's and at least 4 gigs of RAM, however some rooms still have old stuff, but most programming classes are done in the room with the good computers, if you have a laptop bring it with you, saves looking for free computers when you need work done, the library has loads of room but crap computers.

Dont go to jobstown :P but seriously, go to every class if possible, if you start falling behind or dont understand something speak up straight away or you will be lost. Talk to your class mates and ask for help get to know people, makes sharing notes and getting help easier.

marko93 · 21-07-2012 7:36pm

theGavin wrote: »

Yeah, there's a pitch or two and a good few teams; football ; rugby ;etc

There's the cafietera , but the food is rotten. There's a spar around the corner, a centra too and the square, which has burger king, mcdonalds and others.

The computers are quite up to date, especially in room 216. They're grand to work on. But , finding an empty lab will be very difficult before 5pm. (Some days may differ)

Hmmmm. Try go to class as much as possible, but that might not happen, some classes are boring as feck. DON'T annoy Howell, he'll be your software developer lecturer, and he's really good at what he does.

TheReverend wrote: »

The college has loads of clubs, from football to archery.

College canteen is muck, but there are some nice places in the square.

Most computers are pretty nice dell/lenevo with i7's and at least 4 gigs of RAM, however some rooms still have old stuff, but most programming classes are done in the room with the good computers, if you have a laptop bring it with you, saves looking for free computers when you need work done, the library has loads of room but crap computers.

Dont go to jobstown :P but seriously, go to every class if possible, if you start falling behind or dont understand something speak up straight away or you will be lost. Talk to your class mates and ask for help get to know people, makes sharing notes and getting help easier.

Thanks lads, really appreciate all the help!

TheReverend · 21-07-2012 7:38pm

marko93 wrote: »

Thanks lads, really appreciate all the help!

no problem man, if any more questions feel free to ask

marko93 · 21-07-2012 7:46pm

TheReverend wrote: »

no problem man, if any more questions feel free to ask

If I can think of anything I certainly will!

gnfnrhead · 21-07-2012 7:51pm

TheReverend wrote: »

Most computers are pretty nice dell/lenevo with i7's and at least 4 gigs of RAM

Maybe for you guys! We only get XP that takes a week to load up the first time you log in on it. Every single computer I've used is XP. Keeping all the good stuff hidden away? :pac:

theGavin · 21-07-2012 7:52pm

gnfnrhead wrote: »

Maybe for you guys! We only get XP that takes a week to load up the first time you log in on it. Every single computer I've used is XP. Keeping all the good stuff hidden away? :pac:

What do you study? I can understand computing getting fast computers, for, err...debugging, yes, that's it..... :rolleyes:

gnfnrhead · 21-07-2012 8:00pm

Electronic Engineering. Didnt think we'd have used computers as much as we did. I think it was 24 hours of classes, and probably about 10 of them where 100% computer related. The rest (bar Maths) used them every now and then.

Share the wealth?

theGavin · 21-07-2012 8:02pm

gnfnrhead wrote: »

Electronic Engineering. Didnt think we'd have used computers as much as we did. I think it was 24 hours of classes, and probably about 10 of them where 100% computer related. The rest (bar Maths) used them every now and then.

Share the wealth?

Don't think we'll be able to, especially this year with all the incoming comp. students. The 3 or 4 computer rooms we have are always full, which makes it hard to get group work done during free time (or play time, whichever you wanna call it).

Damn, first world problems.

TheReverend · 21-07-2012 8:45pm

gnfnrhead wrote: »

Maybe for you guys! We only get XP that takes a week to load up the first time you log in on it. Every single computer I've used is XP. Keeping all the good stuff hidden away? :pac:

well to be fair we aint allowed to use the engineering computers :P

marko93 · 22-07-2012 1:50pm

Oooh, another question has popped into my head.

Would I need/be better off with bringing a laptop to the College or is it unnecessary?

Pros and Cons? :P

theGavin · 22-07-2012 2:44pm

marko93 wrote: »

Oooh, another question has popped into my head.

Would I need/be better off with bringing a laptop to the College or is it unnecessary?

Pros and Cons? :P

You can bring it in. Some lecturers will be fine with you using your laptop to take notes (they know you're not taking notes if you're laughing every 5 minutes however :pac: ) , but some lecturers will ask you not to use your laptop (unless you need to, such as if you suffer from dyslexia).

One pro is that you can use your laptop anywhere and get work done, instead of finding an empty lab.

Con is it can be a pain in the arse carrying it everywhere, and that some of your files stored in your laptop may not be stored in the computers in the college, so you'll have to constantly keep both systems up-to-date.

My advice? Don't bring one in until a month or two in, as you just won't need it.

marko93 · 22-07-2012 3:52pm

theGavin wrote: »

You can bring it in. Some lecturers will be fine with you using your laptop to take notes (they know you're not taking notes if you're laughing every 5 minutes however :pac: ) , but some lecturers will ask you not to use your laptop (unless you need to, such as if you suffer from dyslexia).

One pro is that you can use your laptop anywhere and get work done, instead of finding an empty lab.

Con is it can be a pain in the arse carrying it everywhere, and that some of your files stored in your laptop may not be stored in the computers in the college, so you'll have to constantly keep both systems up-to-date.

My advice? Don't bring one in until a month or two in, as you just won't need it.

Thanks!

I heard that their is a few couple hour breaks? Is this true?

theGavin · 22-07-2012 3:55pm

marko93 wrote: »

Thanks!

I heard that their is a few couple hour breaks? Is this true?

Oh yeah. Some days you may only be in for a couple of classes, some days you might be in for 9 - 12 , one hour for lunch, then 1 - 4.

So far my times have been grand, you may get a couple of hours off per day which is always nice. And of course the odd day you might decide not to go to one class and have a longer lunch. Not that I condone that of course :rolleyes:

Also, you get a good bit of time off for holidays, more so than secondary school. Like, I've been off since April (not counting exams) and I won't be back in till September 17th.

marko93 · 22-07-2012 3:56pm

theGavin wrote: »

Oh yeah. Some days you may only be in for a couple of classes, some days you might be in for 9 - 12 , one hour for lunch, then 1 - 4.

So far my times have been grand, you may get a couple of hours off per day which is always nice. And of course the odd day you might decide not to go to one class and have a longer lunch. Not that I condone that of course :rolleyes:

Also, you get a good bit of time off for holidays, more so than secondary school. Like, I've been off since April (not counting exams) and I won't be back in till September 17th.

My cousin had a 3 hour break or something on Fridays and said it was a killer sometimes

Time to buy a kindle :P

SINCE APRIL?

What year are you in?

theGavin · 22-07-2012 4:12pm

marko93 wrote: »

My cousin had a 3 hour break or something on Fridays and said it was a killer sometimes Time to buy a kindle :P

SINCE APRIL?

What year are you in?

Kindles are amazing, I'm actually throwing more books onto mine now.

Yup, since April. It's annoying at the same time, it gets a lil boring.

I'm going into 3rd year of computing now. 2nd year was good, finally got to work on a biggish project would other lads in my group.

marko93 · 22-07-2012 4:14pm

theGavin wrote: »

Kindles are amazing, I'm actually throwing more books onto mine now.

Yup, since April. It's annoying at the same time, it gets a lil boring.

I'm going into 3rd year of computing now. 2nd year was good, finally got to work on a biggish project would other lads in my group.

I wish I had the dosh to get one :P

Are you doing the Bachelors or the Honours Bachelors?

Actually, what are your job prospects like? Or have you even thought of that?

theGavin · 22-07-2012 4:19pm

marko93 wrote: »

I wish I had the dosh to get one :P

Are you doing the Bachelors or the Honours Bachelors?

Actually, what are your job prospects like? Or have you even thought of that?

I'm in the long run, honours bachelors. 4 years

Well, if I was to get my degree tomorrow I'd have fantastic job prospects. The industry is crying out for programmers, especially C++ programmers (you begin to learn that in 3rd year). Java programmers are in high demand too.

But, as everyone now knows that the software development industry is booming, loads of people are now studying it in college. So when I leave college, I will be one programmer of many who left college that year. So, anytime I apply for a job, there will be many there in the waiting room too, some from colleges with more prestige (I'm looking at you, Trinity).

So, my best option would be to emigrate to somewhere else. Or stick it out and hope my best. Regardless though, there will always be people looking for competent programmers .

marko93 · 22-07-2012 4:26pm

theGavin wrote: »

I'm in the long run, honours bachelors. 4 years

Well, if I was to get my degree tomorrow I'd have fantastic job prospects. The industry is crying out for programmers, especially C++ programmers (you begin to learn that in 3rd year). Java programmers are in high demand too.

But, as everyone now knows that the software development industry is booming, loads of people are now studying it in college. So when I leave college, I will be one programmer of many who left college that year. So, anytime I apply for a job, there will be many there in the waiting room too, some from colleges with more prestige (I'm looking at you, Trinity).

So, my best option would be to emigrate to somewhere else. Or stick it out and hope my best. Regardless though, there will always be people looking for competent programmers .

That's good to hear!

Do you plan to do a Masters or anything? Or just work?

theGavin · 22-07-2012 4:29pm

marko93 wrote: »

That's good to hear!

Do you plan to do a Masters or anything? Or just work?

I still haven't really decided on that. If I get a job offer from somewhere as I get my degree, it would be really tough to turn it down.

I would really love to get my Masters degree. I dunno if I would get it in IT Tallaght though, as they only offer mobile development AFAIK. I'd probably head off to UCD to get my masters.

Have you been accepted in ITT yet, or still waiting on the CAO?

marko93 · 22-07-2012 4:38pm

theGavin wrote: »

I still haven't really decided on that. If I get a job offer from somewhere as I get my degree, it would be really tough to turn it down.

I would really love to get my Masters degree. I dunno if I would get it in IT Tallaght though, as they only offer mobile development AFAIK. I'd probably head off to UCD to get my masters.

Have you been accepted in ITT yet, or still waiting on the CAO?

Just looked there and the world is screaming for C++ and Java programmers like you said :P So many options for Graduates with fairly good pay.

Yeah, I getcha.

Nope, waiting on my CAO. Find out in 11 days. Maynooth is my first option, but I just think I'll more than likely going to ITT

theGavin · 22-07-2012 4:51pm

marko93 wrote: »

Just looked there and the world is screaming for C++ and Java programmers like you said :P So many options for Graduates with fairly good pay.

Yeah, I getcha.

Nope, waiting on my CAO. Find out in 11 days. Maynooth is my first option, but I just think I'll more than likely going to ITT

Just wait until the CAO website crashes :P Every year without fail, it breaks when people try to get their results. It sucks. Took me over an hour when I was getting mine.

I hear Maynooth is good.

TheReverend · 22-07-2012 4:54pm

To answer all the questions:

Bringing in laptop:
Pros;
No looking for free computers.
All your programs will be there.
Games for when you are bored.
Easier for note taking, you can download the powerpoint being used for class and put the notes on it as needed

Cons:
Laptop could be heavy(I bring a 17inch XPS everyday doesn't really bother me)
Lecturer might be not like you using it, this however is unlikely.

"Lunch Times"
How much time you have off per day will vary.
One day you could be in 9-5 with just one hour break, another day you could have a 4 hour break with just one class after it.

Holidays
As Gavin said you get alot of time off at once, unlike other colleges which have breaks all over the year, in ITT you spend more time in at once but get more time off during summer and more time before and after exams.

Job prospects
The software industry in this country is huge, work on projects yourself over the summer. You can use this is non-academic experience.
From what I have heard job interviews are different for programmers, it wont just be where you went to college and how you did, but what other stuff you worked on, and they will test your problem solving skills by having you write code/pseudo code.

Java and C++ developers are in huge demand in Ireland, just a quick search on jobs.ie will show you what you can expect.

marko93 · 22-07-2012 4:56pm

theGavin wrote: »

Just wait until the CAO website crashes :P Every year without fail, it breaks when people try to get their results. It sucks. Took me over an hour when I was getting mine.

I hear Maynooth is good.

I get mine before the leaving certs :cool: so I should be safe from crashes

So did I, heard both ITT and NUIM are pretty good.

So i'm happy with either

Vista255 · 24-07-2012 11:45am

The level 7 BSc (Ord) Degree in 'Sports Science and Health', any boardies doing this course? whats it like? hours, subjects, etc

marko93 · 24-07-2012 1:43pm

TheReverend wrote: »

To answer all the questions:

Bringing in laptop:
Pros;
No looking for free computers.
All your programs will be there.
Games for when you are bored.
Easier for note taking, you can download the powerpoint being used for class and put the notes on it as needed

Cons:
Laptop could be heavy(I bring a 17inch XPS everyday doesn't really bother me)
Lecturer might be not like you using it, this however is unlikely.

"Lunch Times"
How much time you have off per day will vary.
One day you could be in 9-5 with just one hour break, another day you could have a 4 hour break with just one class after it.

Holidays
As Gavin said you get alot of time off at once, unlike other colleges which have breaks all over the year, in ITT you spend more time in at once but get more time off during summer and more time before and after exams.

Job prospects
The software industry in this country is huge, work on projects yourself over the summer. You can use this is non-academic experience.
From what I have heard job interviews are different for programmers, it wont just be where you went to college and how you did, but what other stuff you worked on, and they will test your problem solving skills by having you write code/pseudo code.

Java and C++ developers are in huge demand in Ireland, just a quick search on jobs.ie will show you what you can expect.

Thanks Rev for the information! Between you and theGavin I feel far more comfortable about going to college :P

One last question, how big is the actual campus?

theGavin · 24-07-2012 2:33pm

marko93 wrote: »

Thanks Rev for the information! Between you and theGavin I feel far more comfortable about going to college :P

One last question, how big is the actual campus?

The actual college is like a large secondary school. Three floors. You'll mainly be in the second and third floor, at the back (they keep the computer students away from the visitors).

The campus is big enough, they just sorted out new parking, but still its overcrowded with cars.

Here's a picture of the campus, the red outline shows the campus boundary http://imgur.com/pHPcf

marko93 · 24-07-2012 3:42pm

theGavin wrote: »

The actual college is like a large secondary school. Three floors. You'll mainly be in the second and third floor, at the back (they keep the computer students away from the visitors).

The campus is big enough, they just sorted out new parking, but still its overcrowded with cars.

Here's a picture of the campus, the red outline shows the campus boundary http://imgur.com/pHPcf

Parking won't be a problem, as I shall be busing it in :P

Seriously, thanks lads.

If there is anything else I can think of, I'll return once more to pick your brains..

Wait, now that I think of it, what's the maths like for the course?
Heard it can be difficult?

theGavin · 24-07-2012 3:47pm

marko93 wrote: »

Parking won't be a problem, as I shall be busing it in :P

Seriously, thanks lads.

If there is anything else I can think of, I'll return once more to pick your brains..

Wait, now that I think of it, what's the maths like for the course?
Heard it can be difficult?

No bother, ask any questions.

Maths is grand, the maths lecturers are fantastic, I wish I had them throughout secondary school. In first year you'll learn binary, adding to binary, multiplying, subtraction etc. Same with hex and octal.

In semester 2 of first year you'll do a more advanced version of it. Honestly the maths never gets out of hand, it never gets too hard. Just stick to going to the classes and the tutorials every once and awhile. Also the maths lecturers are great with afterschool lessions, so if you're stuck behind I highly suggest going to those afterschool grinds (free of charge of course).

marko93 · 24-07-2012 3:55pm

theGavin wrote: »

No bother, ask any questions.

Maths is grand, the maths lecturers are fantastic, I wish I had them throughout secondary school. In first year you'll learn binary, adding to binary, multiplying, subtraction etc. Same with hex and octal.

In semester 2 of first year you'll do a more advanced version of it. Honestly the maths never gets out of hand, it never gets too hard. Just stick to going to the classes and the tutorials every once and awhile. Also the maths lecturers are great with afterschool lessions, so if you're stuck behind I highly suggest going to those afterschool grinds (free of charge of course).

They have afterschool grinds?
That sounds fantastic! Was kinda worried bout it, I am good at maths, just never put the work in for secondary school

theGavin · 24-07-2012 3:59pm

marko93 wrote: »

They have afterschool grinds?
That sounds fantastic! Was kinda worried bout it, I am good at maths, just never put the work in for secondary school

For maths they do if the lecturer wants, but so far maths teacher I've had has said that there will be afterschool grinds. Other subjects may have them if the lecturer decides to give up their spare time.

Maths is a grand subject, you'll get about two tests during a semester which go towards your overall maths grade, and then you'll do your main maths exam in December / June. The CA tests are worth 40% and last exam is worth 60%.

I'm pretty sure the CA tests are openbook in first year if I recall right.

marko93 · 24-07-2012 4:03pm

theGavin wrote: »

For maths they do if the lecturer wants, but so far maths teacher I've had has said that there will be afterschool grinds. Other subjects may have them if the lecturer decides to give up their spare time.

Maths is a grand subject, you'll get about two tests during a semester which go towards your overall maths grade, and then you'll do your main maths exam in December / June. The CA tests are worth 40% and last exam is worth 60%.

I'm pretty sure the CA tests are openbook in first year if I recall right.

Oh this is great then, I shall just put the effort in from day 1 :P

theGavin · 24-07-2012 4:12pm

marko93 wrote: »

Oh this is great then, I shall just put the effort in from day 1 :P

Cool man. For SDEV you start off learning the building blocks of programming, and the lecturer will teach the class Scratch. It's a program which lets the user grasp programming concepts. Here's the URL of the program : http://scratch.mit.edu/ . (yes it looks childish, but it is very useful for learning the basics of programming....also it's quite fun making macabre games involving that lil b@stard of a cat).

You'll do that for about a week or too, then you'll move on Java. Alongside these two programs you'll be doing PBL (problem based learning) labs weekly. They help you gain a logical outlook on problems, and you'll solve these problem in a group of 4 (remember, try find a group you get along with - very important) and you'll solve them on a whiteboard. I loved the PBL labs, they were really fun when in a group you trust.

marko93 · 24-07-2012 5:34pm

theGavin wrote: »

Cool man. For SDEV you start off learning the building blocks of programming, and the lecturer will teach the class Scratch. It's a program which lets the user grasp programming concepts. Here's the URL of the program : http://scratch.mit.edu/ . (yes it looks childish, but it is very useful for learning the basics of programming....also it's quite fun making macabre games involving that lil b@stard of a cat).

You'll do that for about a week or too, then you'll move on Java. Alongside these two programs you'll be doing PBL (problem based learning) labs weekly. They help you gain a logical outlook on problems, and you'll solve these problem in a group of 4 (remember, try find a group you get along with - very important) and you'll solve them on a whiteboard. I loved the PBL labs, they were really fun when in a group you trust.

Team stuff sounds great. I'll keep it noted to make friends I'd trust in a group!
Looking at the scratch site now, looks interesting!

Thanks for the info man, really really appreciate it

marko93 · 02-08-2012 9:28am

Lads, I just want to thank yous for being so helpful with everything I needed.

My offer came in and it wasn't ITT it was Maynooth. Your advice and my appreciation still stands!

Have a good one!

theGavin · 02-08-2012 2:44pm

marko93 wrote: »

Lads, I just want to thank yous for being so helpful with everything I needed.

My offer came in and it wasn't ITT it was Maynooth. Your advice and my appreciation still stands!

Have a good one!

Congratulations man!

Since you're now in an opposing college...we will have...to break your legs...Tallllaaaaa style.

Have a good year man.

Tom1991 · 17-08-2012 9:06pm

Come monday hopefully ill be startin computing in itt and thought id say hello to my future comrades.
Heres hopin the tallaght banter is as epic as lads ive known that are students says

theGavin · 17-08-2012 9:55pm

Tom1991 wrote: »

Come monday hopefully ill be startin computing in itt and thought id say hello to my future comrades.
Heres hopin the tallaght banter is as epic as lads ive known that are students says

Hey future Tallaght student.

theGavin · 20-08-2012 9:14am

Good luck to everyone today getting their results ;D

Ele92 · 22-08-2012 3:54pm

Looks like I'm doing computing in ITT!

Introduce yourself / Roll call 2011-2012

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