actually, you're spot-on regarding my cousin's job.
he's working in an American software MNC here (not Microsoft,
though), and is mainly in charge of fixing and debugging the
software's bugs / glitches, and i think he also do a bit of IT
maintenance sai-kang + daily software builds, that's why work so
late.
as for 3D animation, i don't feel like going into that field
after reading some 3D animation books in the library yesterday.
actually, to use 3D animation software to create a decent object,
you don't really need to know 3D math stuff.
however, to become a 3D professional animator good enough to be
hired by companies, 3D math is a must. And btw, these 3D math stuff
are MORE DIFFICULT than any JC-level maths i've ever seen. It's
more like computer-science level type of maths....or should i say,
only those guys with PhD in Mathematics can understand.
it's very scary for guys like me who can't even do some primary
4 maths. 
and poly courses, for their part-time courses, they offer only
advanced and specialist diplomas (the specialist diplomas require a
local poly diploma in any discipline.......i look at their course
sypnosis and could tell at one glance i won't have a problem
understanding them but these guys refuse to listen to me).
if that AEC is S$5000 and not S$1000, i'm going to look for
alternatives, although those specialized certificate courses like
Photoshop CS 3 / Flash MX are so damn short (like 48 hours etc) and
u can't learn anything from those.
LOL... a look at their course synopsis and could tell at one
glance that you won't have problems understanding them? You are
very naive.
IT job not easy.
consider these:
1) have to stay back when people all went home (due to backups
of data and some back-ups can only be done when computers not
running).
2) have to upgrade entire company's PCs (if got 40 PCs and
company wants to upgrade RAM, then u die die must take apart 40
PCs, unscrew, put in RAM, screw back, test).
3) if midnight / Chinese New Year / Christmas / weekend and your
colliks at Siloso beach have wild nude parties and frat orzies, and
the company's servers go down, then u die die must go back and fix
even until ok
4) if colliks screw up their computers, u die die have to fix
and sometimes it's a virus attack etc, and u may need to spend 4 -
10 hours finding the mysterious thing. If really cannot, need to
format PC and this takes even longer
5) if need to install software, then even lagi worse. Prepare to
burn all your weekends away and sign divorce papers cos' wife will
leave u for other guys like accountants and finance honchos
(meaning, u prepare to wear Green Hat)
6) do other sai-kang and bits and ends
Lots to correct here.
1. Not all IT jobs are like that, unless you end up working in
the networking, server, database, BCT, etc fields. For small IT
companies, if you are the support staff, you can't run away from
this. It's your job. But for big companies, you probably have no
chance of running into such trouble.
2. It's part and parcel of IT. Old have to upgrade. Can't
upgrade, either build or buy new one.
3. That is you suay.
4. It's also part and parcel of IT. Company didn't hire you to
zou boh you know.
5. Hello brother, there's something called automation. If I hire
you to buy 40 XP CDs, 40 Office CDs so that you can install on all
40 PCs at one go, you might as well go home.
Me no money to buy 40 XP CDs and 40 Office CDs and 40 of
whatever software CDs.
IT is there to help repetitive tasks. Put everything you need to
install on a server, connect all these PCs to the server, set the
first boot device to a network drive, configure the installation to
run automatically, test to make sure they can detect the network
drive and you're done.
6. Part and parcel of any job.
