Good for you for having the courage to ask questions. This is definitely as good a place as any to ask. As for what to do and how to do it, I would definitely

Good for you for having the courage to ask questions. This is definitely as good a place as any to ask. As for what to do and how to do it, I would definitely tell you to go ahead and do the 3-2 program with Columbia. Besides the education, the connections you will make will last a lifetime. I actually work for Columbia and live by the campus, if you want to talk drop me a line. But that aside, NYC has a great tech community with all sorts of programming/developer oriented events going on virtually every week (check out meetup.com). Most importantly, hold on to that spark that got you interested. It will keep you going when you feel you are banging your head against the wall.