Caramel Brulée Latte, Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frap... Damn, that sounds nasty. I'm sure they are calorie bombs as well. Can I recommend a nice cup of coffee-flavored black coffee?
I even used that on a piece of software last year to extend the trial period. It was good software, so I brought it afterward. But I was surprised that the old trick still worked.
We use unrestricted Mac's at my company, heck many use their own laptop. But we have very restrict access rules for sensitive information. The majority does not have access to company or user sensitive information. We are trying to strike a good balance between security and just letting people do their job.
Not a direct answer but more career advice. Can you combine your degree with programming? It seems like a waste to throw out a good degree. Start programming as a hobby before throwing your hat over the wall?
There are few jobs in low-level programming, but of course, if you are very skilled, you can always find work. There are plenty of books and websites where you can learn it. If you genuinely regret your degree, then there is a way.
I don't know the American market, but they are screaming for qualified developers in Europe and Asia where I work. I have been around long enough to know that if you are a good developer there will always be work for you. Especially if you are not super specialized and open to working with people.
It's possible, but you are limited in the roles you can take. Some companies don't want or are allowed to have their data in China. This is true for both US and European companies, I don't know about Australia.
There are lots of great developers in China, no problem there as long as your English is good. But it can be a pain to jump The Great Firewall all the time.
You can run Linux on iOS, so I guess it's possible, but the performance would suck I think. Of course, you would need a dynamic DNS as your IP would change all the time. If you connect to local WIFI, that might be blocking your server.