(USA) How does schooling past highschool work? I'm 22 and

>>18088659
>Explain college to me like I'm retarded.

College forces you to learn by holding your money hostage. Good schools will be more than worth the money, average schools will barely be worth it and any online school is a joke.

Do yourself a favor and find your nearest decent community college, get an associates and transfer to a decent state school for 2-3 years. You'll get the most bang for your buck that way.

Dont fall for the Ivy league or private school meme. Go to community college, kick fucking ass, and then the best state school you can get into.

>>18088659
>multiple degrees for what seems like the same thing

On that, it really will not matter if you go for computer engineering or computer science or computer (insert word here). You wont be doing anything specific to your specialty until at least 3 year, everything the first two years is general stuff everyone takes if they are computer (whatever). The third and fourth year is when you typically split which classes you take.

Going to a community college will also help you narrow down where you want to specify. So dont fret if you get an associates in CS and want to do computer engineering at a state school, that is totally okay.

Mostly as long as you know you want to do something with computers being in the department is enough and over time you'll figure out more specific tastes.

>>18088668
another side note

Other stuff like getting a BS vs a BA vs blah blah blah blah is nothing you are expected to figure out now, nor should it matter what it means. (though i would make sure you have the ability to get a BS or a BA in whatever field you choose) State schools will provide advising to suit your needs and future goals.

>>18088671
any other questions?

>>18088659
>>18088661
Agreed, take all the transferable classes you can. You can get 80 percent of your of your requirements done at a local college either for free with a tuition waiver, or a few thousand bucks if you have to pay. Try to buy your books used from places like amazon or half.com, match the book serial number to make sure it's the correct one. If you want a 4.0 look up classes for next term, sign up for 3 or so and order the books used and preread them before the class. They will all seem easier then and you will way out perform your peers and look like a genius.

>Explain college to me like I'm retarded.

Well you're considering going to college, so consider that assumed. If you HAVE to go to college and you're not a 4.0 nerd, then take a trade foundations course (you'd be better off just calling every plumbing company in town and getting in that way) OR one of those 2 year associates degrees in radiology or something similar.

Just send in your transcript and apply to whatever you choose. They'll message you and say hey you took retard math highschool? Come dish out some money here and upgrade before you start dishing out loads more money and PROBABLY end up working at mcdonalds anyway

>>18088684
agreed

Technical degrees and schools are SEVERELY underrated these days.

I mean you could go to a community college/trade school for nursing or being a PA and come out of the degree making 70k+

Or go to a two year technical school and come out making 40k+