Career/school advice to pursue love of video/audio

[Adub]

Hey all! Some of you may have seen me around the forums some, but I have a few questions for you.
I am a high school senior as of now, and I am about to embark on the next step in my education. College.

To be specific, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. My major is a B.S. in Computer Science.
Here is my question for you. What classes should I be taking to further my knowledge of, well, everything that this forum is about, from decrypting to audio/video encoding/decoding/capturing etc.
In short, everything.

Again, what classes do you guys recommend, what careers are guys following/recommend, and do you have any other possible recommendations for anything all around.

Thanks in advance,
Merlin7777

[setarip_old]

(Just kidding! ) CalPoly SLO - Isn't the only major "Beach Volleyball"? ;>}

Unless things have changed drastically since my day (We used mallets and chisels to write on stone tablets), you'll have two years to decide upon your major - and during those first two years you'll have plenty of REQUIRED courses to be taken. (Math, English, History, Science, Foreign Language, etc.)

[Adub]

Well, yes those are quite obvious, except for one small detail. I had to declare a major to get into Cal Poly. And freshmen at SLO start taking classes towards their major on the first day.
So I ask again, are there classes that you guys recommend I should take? Career paths to open up in the future?

[Guest]

Comp Sci is good. Concentrate on classes like languages, OS's, embedded systems and shy away from databases and IT. I don't recall any specific video-related classes from my days but that was well before the desktop video revolution. :)

[chipzoller]

So you're thinking of transferring from University of Doom9?! Might just want to consider adjunct enrollment at Cal Poly :)

[Latexxx]

Just do Signal Processing if they offer it.

[Adub]

actually, when I was there on wednesday, I saw a class room labeled something like "Audio....and Signal Processing". I am glad that it caught my eye.

So, now databases and IT stuff, huh? The languages and OS stuff I had been planning on from the beginning, although the embedded systems stuff is new to me. Any other thoughts/suggestions?
Also, how about career moves? What are some of the jobs that you guys specialize/work in, etc?

[Zarxrax]

If possible I would also recommend taking some courses on things like editing and broadcast, or something where you get to make a film. It seems like you are interested in creating software that processes video, but at the same time it is important to understand the people who will be using those tools. You need to understand what sorts of tools that they need, and for what purposes.

[Adub]

Yeah, I am also into editing video my self. I use Sony Vegas a lot to mess around + produce videos for friends and school projects. A video editing/broadcast class could be quite fun I think.
And the whole "get into the editors mind" idea is a good one in my opinion.

[Adub]

Are there any other suggestions/recommendations for classes/possible career choices?

[Mug Funky]

not sure what i can tell you about course choices, except for the fact that they don't matter as much as you might expect.

that said, i do wish i'd learnt programming as i don't have the time to do it now, unless i get really super motivated and give up my nights and a hefty chunk of sleep :)

i can offer you a little of my experience though, which isn't much - i've only been out of uni 4 years, and i've only had a decent job for a little less than 3 of those years.

if you want to get into encoding stuff, then find a DVD authoring house (even better, one that does HD, though it'll be a fair while until that's relevant as DVD is still king, and it's easier to get into) and try to get a foot in there.

also, as far as course selection goes, you might want to choose one that's targetted toward where you want to end up - having friends in the same field is very good, especially when they get a job somewhere good... they can put in good words for you (that's how i got in to DVDs, and also how i got into my current job as a junior colourist). sure it's cronyism/nepotism, but realistically it's the best way - you have someone to vouch for your abilities, and the employer doesn't have to advertise a position or spend forever interviewing people. i consider myself extremely lucky that i landed a job doing pretty much exactly what i did in my spare time anyway - it amounted to DVD backup, but with much better masters to work off. and being exposed to so many different types of footage, i learned very fast and came up with some one-size-fits-all scripts. in fact, truth be told, my former workplace must owe quite a lot to this forum, as software encoding and conversion has increased efficiency and quality by a lot. more can be fit on discs, and at higher quality.

but yeah, the course itself doesn't matter as much as the directions it can lead you. i did a multimedia course, and that pretty much can lead anywhere - i know designers, animators, programmers (web and regular), motion-graphic and 3d artists, industrial designers, sound guys, etc. and they all did the same (kinda dodgy) multimedia course. that said, most of them didn't directly learn the skills they currently use at uni - most of it was self taught. but it's certainly worth it for the contacts and the lifelong (so far :)) friendships. in the end that stuff's more important IMHO.

best of luck.

[Adub]

You have given me a lot to think about Mug Funky, all of which I deeply appreciate. And you are not the first one to tell me that most of the stuff you learn in College is useless in the real world anyways, as you truly learn the necessary tools on the job. But, I am going to learn programming (So ha!), and take a signal processing class as well.
I don't know if Cal Poly has a multimedia class or not, but I will be sure to look into it. The main reason that I want to take courses on video/audio encoding etc. is because I would like some one to explain to me what the heck different colorspaces are, what exactly is interlacing and how to cure the world from it's deathly clutches; and what the hell all of the different options in x264 truly mean, not some complex language answer that goes completely over my head.

However, what you said about contacts is very interesting to me. I had never thought about it before, mainly because out of my highschool of 3000, I am the only one who even knows what a DVD is made of, or how to identify interlaced material. It can be a little frustrating, especially when they all come up to you wanting to know how to put "stuff" on their iPod's. It's like trying to explain IVTC to a horse. A dead horse. With no head and buried six feet under.

In short, thanks Mug Funky, I really appreciate your clearly stated arguments/opinions.
Does anyone else have other thoughts?

[Boulder]

I don't have much to add to these, but I'd like to underline the importance of being open-minded and keeping your eyes and ears open. You'll often learn a lot by doing that, and it usually ends up giving you those very important contacts as well.

I ended up in my current job by accident, but in these few months I've been there, I've already come to know a lot of important people from various departments whom I can contact if my current contract isn't renewed when it runs out. The same thing happens in college or any school; you get to know people who could help you big time some day.

[gameplaya15143]

It's like trying to explain IVTC to a horse. A dead horse. With no head and buried six feet under.I know what that's like. It's like that for me at my current school.

You will probably find that the classes of most use to you are the 300-400 level classes. .. the rest, just try not to fall asleep. :devil: Have fun with your pointless 'general education' classes.

(I should be getting my CS degree at the end of this year by the way)

[johnhamler1]

if u like girls!
try the pron industry!:rolleyes:

[Adub]

Ha! maybe I will. Or chip and dales.
But seriously, I just interviewed for a scholarship at a local video/audio routing company, and now I may be changing my major to computer engineering. I won't go into specifics, but I was persuaded to think that it would be a better career move than Comp Sci.

[gameplaya15143]

Good luck with that. Computer Eng. is a LOT harder than Computer Sci.

I know.. I tried Comp. Eng. ... but will be getting my CS degree soon instead :devil:

[rkr1958]

Take plenty of math, especially the advance courses, if you want to get into the signal processing and transform techniques at the core of video and audio cleanup and encoding. A strong background in math will take you a long way in any computer or engineering career. Have you considered a a minor or even a second major in Math?

[zambelli]

I think the best advice I could give you is to keep reading Doom9 forums and experimenting with every new video software that comes through. That's some priceless education right there.

As for core knowledge... Signal processing is probably the most useful course you can take. There's really more physics in codec science than there is math.

[gucci55]

Greeting,

<mod: removed spam>

:thanks:

Peter

[Adub]

Damn spammers.

Anyways, sorry I am so late in replying. Yes, math and physics are important. As a matter of fact, I have already taken two years of physics (mechanics though), and I am about to finish calculus. Thankfully, I have enjoyed both.
You can be sure that I will continue to visit and take part in Doom9's forums for a long, long time. Plus, I love using new software. I get a kick out of using something new and terrible. Just kidding. I love to experiment with new programs/programmers.

So, Signal Processing is a for sure thing to study, eh? Okay dokey.

Just to keep things running, anyone else have a suggestion?

[Keepitsimple]

Do your college offer pure image courses? Like image warping, compression techniques, image recognition etc.

I would suggest linear algebra and some numerical analysis if you havent already done it.

[Latexxx]

Image manipulation should be part of signal processing just like audio and video filtering and compression. And sure, linear algebra and discrete mathematics relate to everything.

[Adub]

It's funny, my physics teacher and I were just talking about linear algebra. It sounds like really interesting stuff.

Okay, so, Image Manipulation if they got it (unless it is part of signal processing), definitely Signal Processing.

Add to that linear algebra and discrete mathematics with numerical analysis if they have, which I bet you they do.

Anything else? Keep in mind, I am in highschool right now, so any future suggestions are welcome.

[gameplaya15143]

Look at the cirriculum for the Major you are going to pursue at your university of choice. Chances are, a lot of it will already be required for the degree. (signal processing would probably be an elective if it's even offered)

[zambelli]

Look at the cirriculum for the Major you are going to pursue at your university of choice. Chances are, a lot of it will already be required for the degree.
For Computer Science? Most Comp Sci programs seem horribly outdated or too high level to cover anything interesting in sufficient detail. I'd be surprised if there's a single mandatory class in his curriculum that even mentions codecs.

[squid_80]

For Computer Science? Most Comp Sci programs seem horribly outdated or too high level to cover anything interesting in sufficient detail. I'd be surprised if there's a single mandatory class in his curriculum that even mentions codecs.
The most useful subject when I did Comp Sci was Formal Methods - Covered huffman coding (and various others) and explained what entropy is, as well as algorithm analysis (complexity and big-O notation).

[Adub]

Apparently I didn't make it clear. I am changing my major from Computer science to Computer Engineering. And yes, I know for sure that there is a signal processing class. I walked right passed the door when I was down there checking it out.

I will have to look if I can check my curriculum yet. I may have to wait till August.

Just curious, but what classes other than signal processing would mention codecs?

Edit: Ah Ha! Found it, check it out.
http://www.calpoly.edu/~acadprog/2005depts/cengr/cpe_prog/cpe.html

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Preferences?

[gameplaya15143]

For Computer Science? Most Comp Sci programs seem horribly outdated or too high level to cover anything interesting in sufficient detail. I'd be surprised if there's a single mandatory class in his curriculum that even mentions codecs.I should have mentioned that it would probaby be math classes that were already required (descrete math.. I don't even remeber anything from that class :rolleyes: )