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what mistakes did you make entering college?

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Comments

  • #32
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭[Deleted User]


    As a mature student your already dodge many of the mines. Just remember why you are there and the end game.

    If you don't know, ask. Better to have someone roll their eyes than not pick up the knowledge you are there to pick up

    The people around you may well stand between you and the job you want in 4 years but then the industry I was aiming for was one of the hardest to get into with less than 10% employment from college


  • #33
    GarIT
    Registered Users Posts: 8,671 ✭✭✭GarIT


    I'd say budget a grand at least for the laptop. Although there was a Lenovo going around in bargain alerts that would do the job for 600.

    If you're programming, the CPU is going to be the most important component. CPUs can be compared at https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php. I'd go for an i5 or higher, ideally i7 only from the latest series, think it's 10xxx, the new AMD 4xxx series are good if you go for the higher end, I wouldn't bother with anything older. RAM will be the next most important. 16GB should be enough for now 32GB could be good if you want to keep the one laptop for 4 years.

    You can get away with a lot lower spec but if you're going to make IT your career it's better to have the right tools if you can afford them. And the alternate is if you go cheaper you will probably have to buy again for your final year. And the time a good laptop will save you will more than make up for the cost.


  • #34
    GarIT
    Registered Users Posts: 8,671 ✭✭✭GarIT


    Be careful about recoding lectures. Many colleges consider it piracy and people have been kicked out of college for it. The lecturers will provide lecture slides.


  • #35
    FHFM50
    Closed Accounts Posts: 165 ✭✭FHFM50


    GarIT wrote: »
    Be careful about recoding lectures. Many colleges consider it piracy and people have been kicked out of college for it. The lecturers will provide lecture slides.

    How would they know?


  • #36
    GarIT
    Registered Users Posts: 8,671 ✭✭✭GarIT


    FHFM50 wrote: »
    How would they know?

    It's obvious if you're taking a video. Some people get caught out sharing them around, posting them on Facebook or something for the rest of the class to see.

    And for remote stuff some video calling/conferencing software will tell the presenter if the screen or audio is being recorded and who is doing it.


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  • #37
    GarIT
    Registered Users Posts: 8,671 ✭✭✭GarIT


    I'd be wary of going too off topic with studying too, you can 100% almost any module from the lecture slides only. I was near the top of the class, got a good first ~80% overall.

    Nothing will be on the exam that isn't on the lecture slides in an IT degree unless they specifically tell you.

    Each week builds on the last week. Make sure you understand the slides from every previous week before each week and that's all you really need to do.


  • #38
    Wanderer78
    Registered Users Posts: 28,769 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    GarIT wrote: »
    It's obvious if you're taking a video. Some people get caught out sharing them around, posting them on Facebook or something for the rest of the class to see.

    And for remote stuff some video calling/conferencing software will tell the presenter if the screen or audio is being recorded and who is doing it.

    record audio only, secretly if necessary


  • #39
    crisco10
    Registered Users Posts: 6,171 ✭✭✭crisco10


    Depends on the course obviously, but I only realised how essential past papers were later on in my college career. Lecturers recycle questions repeatedly and using them as study aids really focuses your efforts. Even finding papers from your lecturers other classes is helpful.

    This worked in Engineering and my Masters in Smurfit.


  • #40
    GarIT
    Registered Users Posts: 8,671 ✭✭✭GarIT


    crisco10 wrote: »
    Depends on the course obviously, but I only realised how essential past papers were later on in my college career. Lecturers recycle questions repeatedly and using them as study aids really focuses your efforts. Even finding papers from your lecturers other classes is helpful.

    This worked in Engineering and my Masters in Smurfit.

    Yeah I should have said this too with my comment on lecture slides. If there is a past question you can't get 100% on you need to change that.


  • #41
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭[Deleted User]


    Wanderer78 wrote: »
    record audio only, secretly if necessary

    Without permission?


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  • #42
    Wanderer78
    Registered Users Posts: 28,769 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    Niner leprauchan wrote:
    Without permission?


    Ah yea, plough on


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