@Blackcloud
Because of the different hardware Macs have been based on over time, there may be different key combos for getting into the boot options. Assuming Etcher made the USB drive bootable when you wrote the image to it. Either way though you should be able to get the boot options to come up. A quick search indicates an alternative to holding down the Option key. They suggest holding down the power button, like so...
- Shut down your Mac completely
- Plug in the USB drive
- Press and hold the power button until you see "Loading startup options."
- Your bootable USB should appear as an option
If you're not seeing this menu then you're not using the right key to get the menu. If you can get to the menu, but the USB drive doesn't come up as an option then its an issue with that drive (or it's configuration)
IT definitely comes up a lot for people with social anxiety, it's why i gravitated to it as well. But it can depend a lot on the area that you go with it as well. How much liaising and dealing with customers, clients, team members, users, reps etc.
If you have a look at some Bachelor of CS courses you'll see what they mostly consist of. I would assume there would be a lot of programming. I would think programming and software development, algorithms and date structures, information systems, the architecture of the hardware, etc would all be a big part of it. This level of study would also involve more low level programming like assembly I would have to assume. My only advice would be to find the area that you enjoy and have some passion for. It would really be a grind without that. Like anything I guess.
It would really depend on what are you are looking to go in to and what level. System admin, engineer (software or hardware), software or web development, there's so many areas each with different levels. You can always visit an IT related forum like Whirlpool (forums.whirlpool.net.au). Lots of IT people there who will be happy to answer questions about what sort of area may be most suitable for you to look into as there is so much experience there in all areas of IT.
You may find this thread has a bit of useful information for you in regards to studying CS. https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/3m01rwzm, but there's plenty of others there as well. It's a great resource.
