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Re: About College Computer Security Careers
I highly recommend taking a course. While a course will undoubtedly cost more than just self-teaching, courses commonly come with a lot of hands-on instruction as well as the invaluable opportunity to learn things not taught in the books, not to mention the opportunity to pick the instructor's brains. Unless you have a good chunk of pre-existing knowledge and a bit of experience under your belt in working with computers, a course is a good idea. Some people have found the exams to be difficult due to their lack of experience (and remember, it costs money each time you write an exam, so while you can write it again if you fail it can cost you a couple hundred dollars). While I personally had few problems with the exams (and the material taught) due to already existing experience, I still found the class I took to be invaluable and do not regret the time and money spent. Consider your decision carefully.
Once you've obtained some level of certification, look into obtaining your first IT support job so you can start gaining experience. After that, continue to work on further advancing your education.
I should note that the "certification route" should not be confused with the more traditional "academic diploma/degree route". If you wish to take a career more towards programming, then the degree route is a good idea. All in all you can even do both, however how much time and money you wish to spend should be carefully considered.
Unfortunately I can not comment on what specific choices are available in your area. Fortunately almost all colleges have some form of course/career counseling available - these counselors can help you plan the more nitty-gritty in terms of details, so when the time comes do schedule an appointment with one.
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