Software engineering vs object oriented software developer?

So, I've just discovered that if I want a career in this, I have to choose between going to a university and becoming a software engineer or going to a technical institute and becoming an object oriented software developer. The university requires my average between grades to be at least in the mid 80's (For Americans, this is a 3.4 GPA) which is pretty tough considering I would need to take pre-calculus, calculus, chemistry, English and physics, which are all intensive courses (Last year, half of those who took physics dropped the class, half of those who stayed didn't take it the next year.). For OOSD, I only need English.

So, what's the difference? Is software engineering worth the struggle? Is it worth the price?

Do note that for OOSD, it's first come first serve. For SE, I need the best grades out of all the others who apply.
Are these the programs you're talking about?

http://www.ucalgary.ca/admissions/software_engineering

http://www.sait.ca/programs-and-courses/full-time-studies/certificates/object-oriented-software-developer-course-overview.php

My first though is that getting the SE degree will make you eligible to move onto graduate school afterwards if you decide you're interested in research.

What's the price difference? What is the difference in terms of salaries for graduates of these types of institutions? Think about what kind of jobs you think you can get with the OOSD degree vs the SE degree. Will SE open doors to more interesting and prestigious jobs?

The technical institute seams pretty good, but it also seams like it's more just job training, and pretty much just concerned with teaching you a few commonly used languages.

For me, what I got out of my degree was a whole lot more than how to use a set of programming languages. I would say that learning programming languages wasn't even a notable aspect. Why pay to do that anyways, you can do it on your own easily anyways.

You only live once and life is short.
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I already know how to program. The problem is, I don't think I could get a job by just showing up and saying "I don't have an education but I already know what to do." What did you get out of your degree other than learning how to program?
Networking, really. Meet other CS people, professors, people who work in the industry, etc.
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Depends on the school. And mostly the professor. The great ones will teach you how to work your way around the problem, thinking outside the box, using solutions like binary trees, linked lists, doubly linked lists, recursive solutions. I don't know how common those are when it comes to developing business related software, but according to my professor, it's not all that common to see the "advanced" concepts being used outside of academia.

Btw I live in California, so our main school systems are either UC or Cal State. The difference between those two is UC teaches more theory and concept, whereas Cal State teaches how to do, step by step. But again, it really depends on the professor.
I just talked to my TA about academics, I think I'm going to SAIT, which sounds similar to Cal State, first for the two year program. I will then transfer to U of C for the engineering course, which my teacher says there is a co-op program for, where I go to school for six months, then work for six months. This pattern continues for several years until I get my degree.

By the way, how did you know the exact programs that I was thinking of?

It seems like I can't get work with the OOSD certificate alone but software is a global market where one doesn't have to move. With what level of education can I get my feet wet? What level of education pays what?

I could try dabbling in the mobile market without an edu for extra money but it seems like a waste of time.
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