Senior Sam Pielet leaves school six class periods early every day. After fourth period lunch, he makes the 20-minute drive to TCD, the Technology Center of DuPage.

Pielet, along with 18 other Central students, attend classes at this branch of College of DuPage as part of their daily schedule. Pielet is currently enrolled in a class called Computer Information Systems.

“I basically work with computers all the time,” Pielet said, “I learn programming languages, scripts, and more about programming.”

The opportunity for Pielet to attend TCD opened up when he told his counselor that he wanted to pursue a career in computers.

“(My counselor) gave me the suggestion of doing AP Computer Science, but then said that if I wanted to go further into computers than just learning Java, I would have to go to TCD,” Pielet said. The decision was not a hard one for Pielet to make.

“I decided to take classes there because it was something new that seemed like a lot of fun,” he said. “I wanted to work with computers.”

For Pielet’s particular Computer Information Systems class, students don’t receive an abundance of homework. Other classes at TCD require a minimal amount of studying, and in some cases, students volunteer at hospitals, or police and fire departments.

“The environment for Computer Information Systems is like your typical computer lab, but with better computers,” Pielet said. “I love going to TCD every day because it’s a different atmosphere than you are normally used to at Hinsdale Central.