I’ve interviewed with them over the phone. They’re looking for specialists, mostly in computer vision. At least that’s the opinion I got.
I’ve always been a fan. Got a little discouraged for a while there when they started killing off projects and got all corperate-y but I held strong. I never considered it within reach until I graduated from my undergrad. Certainly by the time I got into CMU I knew it was firmly on the table but even then I was 2.5 years of work away from actually landing it.
Go to a real school, state is fine for undergrad but avoid the sub-state level schools. UCF ok, USF no. UF, FSU great, Georgia Tech even better. Just using FL schools as an example. Albeit UCF sucks, can say that from experience.
CC’s are snake oil, only do them if you are dual enrolling in HS and plan to get an AS or AA before you graduate.
In general I would plan your entire four years before starting classes. Summer classes are great, I recommend doing them. Every semester shaved off your program is at a minimum $40,000 in income gained post school so realize that taking a “gap” semester or year is really burning money.
As far as classes go, grades are mildly important. Showing a good GPA helps get a job, and of course it matters for graduate school but other than that - meh. There were classes I decided not to care about and didn’t shoot for the A just because the professor was a pain in the butt or whatever. Honestly every class is going to be wildly different based on whose teaching it.
Figure out what classes are hard and balance them with fluffy liberal arts gen. eds. That will make your life a lot easier.
Sit as close to the front center or professor as possible. Ask a lot of questions, don’t take notes in class. Listen in class, take notes later (unless it’s med school, then you scorch the earth with notes).
Stuff like that. If you’re at a state school in STEM you’re pretty much already gucci. You’ll outperform 90% of the country in terms of income.