...and was considering getting one that could also benefit me when I go to college for EE next year.
🛑 Time to hit the brakes on enthusiasm
I've used Macs personally and professionally since since 1989, all our kids grew up on Macs, and I've done pro bono Mac hardware and OS support here for over 20 years. I encourage people to consider a Mac when and where it is appropriate. I would own nothing else.
However, from my experience, observations, and perspective, this is NOT an appropriate situation for recommending Macs.
Our son entered computer engineering at Uni with a MacBook Pro, told by department advisors it was fine. He had to use Terminal for many of the coding projects because there was no Mac version of coding apps the other students used. He sometimes had to jump through hoops to print results from Terminal, but he did it.
However, a new prof was hired a couple of years later and, guess what? Profs get the pick the books and software they will use.
The new engineering prof specified Windows-only apps, and using a Windows emulator on our son's Mac was not feasible. The "💵 First National Bank of Mom & Dad 💵" had to finance a Windows computer so he could finish his course work and graduate.
Bottom line: what advisors and counselors tell you today could change in an instant at the start of the next semester. They simply cannot know.
Now our son works works as a well-paid software engineer, programming R&D test platforms for one of the world's largest component suppliers. That environment is 100% Windows.
🔶 As an aside, the nicely-appointed 17-inch Window laptop we bought our son cost about 2/3 rds of what we paid for his entry-level 13-inch Macbook Pro.
