Since you said “but its only a 2-year degree,” I assume you are looking towards a BA or higher. Certainly if you want some management position, a BA or equivalent is almost mandatory.

I replied to earlier postings similar to yours, and in those, and here too, I urge a Liberal Arts curriculum. That was my path, and it has always served me well, even into my retirement. Having a broad knowledge (physics, astronomy, biology, history, art, music, math, psychology) leads one to view what is happening right now in a different light than if one doesn’t have that knowledge, and allows you to make more informed decisions. As an independent contractor, I have designed and written software having to do with research library cataloging, credit card authorization and interchange, jet turbine performance analysis, the mixing of low grade oils in large tanks (for burning in electric power plants), warehouse automation, 911 emergency services, law enforcement case tracking, law enforcement applicant psychological screening, any number of artificial intelligence applications, etc. All this has been very rewarding. So think about this possibility. Any university can give you this education, and you should be able to get government grants to support you.

With best wishes

Phil

Colleges like the one you mentioned could be a starting point. For networking, security I would look into also taking Cisco or other certification tests. That should open doors to give you a shot. For pursuing computer science, that’s a very wide area. What’s hot now is Web services, look for a company called Web Methods for info.