MIS Degree? Am I wasting my time? 5

[rodimus]

I recently started working on an MIS degree part-time at night. As I'm sure many of you are aware, working full time and attending college part-time is a very time and energy consuming task.

Here is my concern. When I look at all of the job adds out there, they all require a BS in CS or EE. I have not seen any employer request an MIS degree, not to mention I don't seem to be learning anything real useful in college.

It is going to take me another five years to finish this degree part-time. That's five years that could be used learning current technologies that employers have a strong needs for.

Am I wasting my time with this MIS degree?

 

[rodimus]

Just to clarify. I'm working on a BS in MIS(Management Information Systems)

 

[shagymoe]

I have a BSME (Mechanical engineering) and I work as a sys admin, although I did a torturoue 2 year stint as a M.E. Believe me when I tell you that the 4 year degree is invaluable. The only thing better than this would be if you are one of those gifted hackers that can sell himself to the highest bidder.

I would not be where I am right now if it wasn't for the bachelors degree. Could I do the job if I didn't have it? Heck yes. Would I be as effective at problem solving, time management, project management, team involvement, and people skills? Definitely not. Would I be paid what I am paid now? Heck no.

It really depends on what you really want to do. Do you WANT to be a manager? Do you know what managers do? Or do you want to be a system admin or database admin or programmer?

I personally don't think that I want to be a manager in the next 10 years. I know what they do....meetings. Yes, the topic is USUALLY IT related, but all they do is go to meetings and travel or teleconference and brainstorm and make decisions. That just isn't for me. I want to work with the technology, and maybe you do too.

Try to be very honest with yourself. What do you REALLY like? I used to think that it would be torture to sit in front of a computer all day and didn't pursue computers in college and looking back, in my free time, all I did was play on my computer. Duh!
Now I love it and am very glad to be sitting in front of a computer all day.

A MIS degree will not get you that big first salary everyone is looking for unless you have already obtained a lot of tech experience. CS or EE will certainly do better at first. To really make the MIS degree pay off, I think you have to also get the Masters in MIS.

You mention learning current technologies that employers have strong needs for. Well, in college, even with a CS degree, you aren't going to learn any vendor specific stuff....at least from my experience. You will learn the fundamentals of everything. Theory and such. You will also learn some programming and technical skills, but it just isn't the same as working. College builds a great foundation, but you really start learning your profession when you get employed. This gives you the opportunity to work with real world problems and people. That experience is invaluable.

So, my suggestion would be to get a job in the field that you think you really want to be in. Trust me, I know this is a catch 22 with the chicken/egg-experience/job thing. You just have to keep trying to get the job no matter what and don't quit. It took me a year to get the job I wanted. I sent out thousands of resumes and had interviews hand over fist. Do ANYTHING to get experience.....and don't quit....you will succeed eventually.

Talk to CS and MIS majors who are close to finishing....ask them all the questions you want answered. Then go to your career center at school and ask for alumni contacts that you can call and ask the same and additional questions. Sometimes, people enlighten you without even trying and it really helps.

I hope this is one of those times.

 

[fuller]

HeyRodiums,

Look on the internet for jobs in the Information Technology field. They are always looking for someone with an MIS deree.

fuller543

 

[NinaToo]

I assume that you do not already possess a bachelor's degree. I would stick to your college course. Though if you are not specifically interested in management, then I would switch to a regular CS degree.

You will learn all the basics there, which you wouldn't learn in a low-level computer-operator type job. Though if you are able to get a computer-operator type job while you are studying for your MIS or CS degree, it might offer more relevant experience to enhance what you learn in school.

If you already have a bachelor's degree in a somewhat-technical field, then I would consider a 2-year college course in programming languages and IS.

Which is what I did. I switched careers from teaching mathematics to programming. But I already had a bachelor's degree in math and I had graduated high honors (nice to put on my resume). And I was not (am and still not) interested in management. So I was able to get into a special community college course which squeezed two years of computer programming into 1 very full-time year. There, I learned all the basics and several programming languages.

Also, make sure to take job-internship type courses at the end of your degree studies. This gives you some job experience plus could give you some good references.

And when you finally get to the end of your studies, have patience in looking for a job. It's frustrating when everyone seems to say "we want experience" and you say, "well, how do I get experience if no one will hire me?" But eventually, you'll find an entry-level position.

And then you'll probably have to forget everything you learned in school (other than the internship courses). Because actually working on a real job in development and programming is a whole different ball-game, I have found.

But it's worth it. I've been in application programming for over 4 years and I love it! And I get paid more than twice the rate that I ever got paid as a teacher. And they pay me lots for doing something I really like doing.

Hope this helps, Nina Too

 

[butchrecon]

This is relevant to this topic only in minor terms but...

There is no such thing as too much Education. There is such a thing as too little education. The more you know the better you are, not only professionally but personally.

Just to note rodimus I too am working on my BS in MIS.

Is that rodimus as in rodimus prime? James Collins
Computer Hardware Engineer
A+, MCP

email: butchrecon@skyenet.net

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[iSeriesCodePoet]

I currently have two degrees, one in Computer Programming and one in Microcomputer Support. I am not working on my B.S. in CIS (Computer Information Science), after that I may even work on a Masters. I haven't decided if I am insane enough for a PhD. Currently I am 21.

The problem with corporations is that they like to see that piece of paper that says B.S. (or higher), they will consider you first for promotions if you have that and no one else does.

Hopefully this helps, and good luck to all you "non-traditional" students!
Mike Wills
RPG Programmer

"I am bad at math because God forgot to include math.h into my programming!"

Please let us (Tek-Tips members) know if the solutions I provide are helpful to you. Not only do my posts help you but they may help others.

 

[ibsidd]

It is more imporrant to focus on where you are trying to
with whatever degrees you have at the moment. If your goal
for the next 5-10 years is to remain on the technical side, then
a BS degree, along w/tech certifications in your sub-field and
a MS degree would be most helpful. If however you are seeking to be in management (IT or otherwise), then I would highly recommend pursuing a MBA. A combination of a BS, quality work experience, tech certifications topped off with a MBA is the best thing to have, assuring yourself in IT management. Remember that none of these degrees(i.e., MIS) can be fully analyzed for their worth exclusively, since they all work in conjunction w/your work experience and other degrees as well.

 

[nontrad]

We have both the BSCS and BS Business (MIS) degrees here. I think when the "demand" is greater than the "supply", both got looked at/ hired. BUT I noticed last spring that companies that previously went after both were now asking only the BSCS people in for interviews. It's even harder for those who are not U.S. citizens and need a work visa.

I think it depends on your interest though. The BSCS is more tecchie and the MIS people will be more likely to move on into management positions. However, I looked at the computer courses required for MIS majors and I refer to that degree as "Computer Appreciation".

You may want to consider a BSCS and then work on a MBA with IT emphasis (from a "name" university only though). I heard of one person who was leaving the Navy as an officer and finished P/T a MBA with IT emphasis from U. of Minn (the top rated univ. in the country in that field). I heard he got starting offers in the 150K range.

 

[BeckahC]

I happen to be working as a programmer right now. I worked my way up from Data Entry to Analytical Clerk to programmer in my company. I am going to a Community College for my AS in CIS. I know I could just stay where I am and continue moving up... but I was trying to get the degree, any degree, just to see if I might find a higher pay elsewhere. But if no one really hires IS people with less than a BS or MS, I almost wonder why I'm bothering? Part of me says - I want more!, another part says - Be happy with what I have! So I keep going to school anyway - If there's even a chance I can continue to improve myself that much more - I will try.

Hope I helped!
BeckahC

 

[JockVSJock]

I know how you feel.

I finished a 4 year degree in History/English before I had any idea what a computer was. I went out in the job field and no one would even give me the time of day. I got lucky and got my foot in the door at a pretty good company but ended up in a unionized IT department. Needless to say it wasn't a very good match but I got hooked on computers and knew finally what the heck I wanted to do in my life. I got some good hands on experience, but I got out of the department into an HR dept, that was looking for someone with some IT skills. Plus, I went back to school working on my MIS, and taking some of the tech classes like networking and databases at the local community college. Has it been a lot of work? Yes. I haven't had any freetime in the last two years, but it has made the difference careerwise and I hope to get back into IT dept. where I could use my skills. My advise is to keep plugging away and study on your own time and see if you can bring that knowledge back into your current job and I'm sure it will make a world of difference.

-Chris

 

[gleason]

As a long-time IT manager, I'd like to add my two cents:

1) Get a Bachelor's degree. There are many, many places in the IT world that will not even talk to you without that piece of paper. In those places, you need the piece of paper to even get a foot in the door. It is generally true that the degree indicates a certain level of education; but more importantly, it indicates the ability to follow through and complete a complex task.

2) The degree alone will not ensure your success. I've worked with many great people with either no degree or a non-technical degree, and I've worked with some people that were not very good at their job, but had CompSci degrees from prestigious universities with phenominal GPAs.

3) The type of degree that you choose (CompSci, MIS) does not necessarily limit your future with respect to a technical track vs. a management track. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. The candidate with a CompSci degree tends to have a deeper technical background, while a candidate with an MIS degree tends to have a better understanding of the business. BOTH are important in the long run. So you can get the MIS degree and broaden your technical horizons later if desired (by getting a Masters degree in CompSci, or getting MCP, MCSD, or MCSE certifications for example). Or you can get the CompSci degree and broaden your business knowledge later (by getting an MBA, or other management education).

Enough rambling out of me. Good luck! Pat Gleason
gleason@megsinet.net