Many future computer professionals are hearing rumors of how there are not going to be enough degreed members of their profession in the very near future. At the same time, they see a number of advertisements promising financial aid for a service fee. One lesson that is quickly being learned is if the service asks for such a fee, the best thing to do is look elsewhere.

The truth is there is financial aid in the form of grants and scholarships out there. What many students don’t realize is a lot of it does lie untapped because they didn’t do all their homework. For instance, one of the biggest sources of these monies is private corporations. Many computer companies offer assistance and internship programs, worth thousands upon thousands of dollars, with the long term goal of finding quality personnel for employment.

Here are four such companies, the names of which should be familiar to all:

(1) Apple Computer Scholarship – The creator of the Mac, iTunes and the iPad likes to keep its apps and software in house, and they recruit personnel who agree with them. Thus they also created the Apple Scholars Program, which gives high school students $2,000, an iPod and a brand new – bet it’s an Apple product – laptop. All the high school applicant has to do is develop a “senior project” that is applicable to already existing Apple tech. Admittedly, the tech stays within Apple’s, but this is a great boost for the student.

(2) Dell Computer Scholars – Dell also has a very generous program for secondary seniors. All it asks is that the applicant be a US citizen, demonstrate a real financial need, maintain a 2.4 or higher grade point average, and plan to go to school the fall after graduation. In return, they award $20,000 for students to take up to a six year program at an accredited college, online or not, with a new computer, mentoring services and a lot more.

(3) Intel Computer Clubhouse – The #1 CPU manufacturer awarded 26 scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 last year, and is about to do it again. Scholarship recipients are based on both academic and economic need. It’s also developed for undergraduate and post-graduate studies in the electrical engineering, computer science, and manufacturing fields, worldwide. Intel details programs to each country or region they are located, making sure each program provides the greatest benefit to its local communities.

(4) Microsoft – They don’t offer just one, but four different programs: General Scholarships, Women’s Scholarships, Minority Scholarships, and Scholarships for Students with Disabilities. All are designed for future computer scientists to excel in their chosen field, with a goal of providing recipients an advantage to pursue studies in computer science and related technical disciplines.

Again, this is just a small sampling of the companies out there. Another source to consider is professional societies. Talk to a college financial aid officer about ways to financially assist your pursuit of your college degrees. A traditional degree or your computer science degree online is the beginning of a move into this growing sector. Use a search engine and get to work. You’ll be surprised at the hundreds of assistance opportunities you’ll find. For more information about your online it degree, check the internet.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 26th, 2010 at 9:23 am and is filed under Education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.