Education, please

Hi All,

Being a newbie to Java (2 semesters at the local community college) and a 40+ year vet of RPG in all its flavors, I come to you with a newbie-like need. I want to go to school!!! I need an instructor-lead experience so I can ask questions about the 'why' and 'when' (not just the 'how') one does something in Java, and have a prayer of getting a well-rounded answer (book authors are remarkably silent when you mutter a question to the page). Not only the Java language, but the peripheral stuff we need to be familiar with; eg, HTML, XML, development environment tools, Web Design, etc.

I live/work on Long Island (NY) and am employed at a company location that's just been told that, within 18 months or so, we're all going to be gone. I'd like to get my current employer to pay for night classes during that 18 month window, and then I'll enroll in a more formal, full-time school when I'm unemployed (Ugh!).

I love this stuff (analysis, design, and programming) and I'm not willing to give it up without a fight. Does anyone have some info about a tried and true education path? Long Island (at night) for the next year, Manhattan (during the day) after that. The local colleges don't seem to be geared up for continuing education in this field. (If you want to be a school teacher, though, no problem at all.)

I'd hate to let this time go to waste.

Thanks to any and all,

Arthur J. Marino
RockTenn Corporation (formerly Southern Container Corp.)
(631) 297-2276


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