Computer Information Systems B.S.

[iGas]

My current SO have a B.S. in CIS and she worked as an accountant assistant. She now also have a medical radiography diploma.

I'm not sure as to what type of employment she will be in.

 

[her209]

I went the other way. Got my BS in Computer Engineering and Computer Science, but I hated coding so I went into IT.

Now I'm responsible for a couple campus networks with ~2200 PCs combined.

 

[amdhunter]

You'll do great as a Level 1 phone helpdesk intern OP.

 

[MBrown]

Thanks for the responses. It seems as though the CIS program offered at my school, UNH at Manchester, is a bit more development oriented than other CIS programs. We are required to take quite a bit of programming courses. In fact my concentration is engineering. Anyway the responses give me a lot to think about. Thanks again. More responses would also be appreciated.

 

[Wyndru]

Thanks for the responses. It seems as though the CIS program offered at my school, UNH at Manchester, is a bit more development oriented than other CIS programs. We are required to take quite a bit of programming courses. In fact my concentration is engineering. Anyway the responses give me a lot to think about. Thanks again. More responses would also be appreciated.

I got mine in SUNYIT in NY, and it was also heavily development based. There really wasn't much difference in the CS and CIS course layouts other than some calculus and theory classes I wasn't required to take (I had to take some business related courses in their place).

 

[Chess]

try and focus on what you want to do....

I have a degree in Management Information Systems....

I had a network path or programming path I could take, and i chose network, and am happy with it.

I dont like programming, I do once a blue moon, but its not me.

The thing is figure out what you want to do within IT and you can move around

 

[MajorMullet]

I have a degree in Management Information Systems. I landed an internship during my senior year as an ASP.NET developer that converted into a full time job. Luckily my college had just added a couple of .NET development classes to the course list, so I took those which helped me get my internship.

I love the programming so it's a great fit for me. An internship will help a lot - I know a few fellow college graduates that converted from interns to full time employee as well.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

I'm CIS at a public school in Ohio, and our program basically just covers up to the CCNP level stuff. It's focused on networking and setting up/managing large networks. It sets you up nicely for working at an ISP or larger company as a network admin. It touches on some security, wireless (wifi mainly, not too much cellular although fundamentals of wifi can be applied to cellular as well) VOIP, linux (second most in depth thing it looks at actually) with scripting, and some web site admin stuff.

If you're looking for programming then that's the CS track at my school. This is almost entirely networking.

 

[Aikouka]

On a side note, my wife's psychology licensing test she recently took had a question on what is the most stressful jobs right now. I was surprised to find that #1 was dental assistant and #2 was computer programmer.

I'm not terribly surprised at that. I've found that it isn't terribly uncommon to really push your developers. I definitely wouldn't expect a 40-hour work week going into the field, but it is possible. In my experience, if you want to avoid excessive work hours, work in defense. Lack of budget = if possible avoid overtime.

 

[Poulsonator]

I have a degree in Geography and I'm a Network Engineer. Life has a funny way of steering your career around.

 

[Exterous]

I have a degree in Geography and I'm a Network Engineer. Life has a funny way of steering your career around.

Tell me about it

<- Network admin with a degree in Architecture

 

[Elbryn]

I have a degree in Geography and I'm a Network Engineer. Life has a funny way of steering your career around.

given today's employment prospects and IT as a more mature job field do you think you'd have had as easy a time getting into IT with a non IT degree/background? 10 years back, if you knew how to type on a keyboard you could get a job in IT. i'm not sure if that's the case now though.

 

[Cutterhead]

On a side note, my wife's psychology licensing test she recently took had a question on what is the most stressful jobs right now. I was surprised to find that #1 was dental assistant and #2 was computer programmer.

Lol, my wife is a dental assistant and I am a programmer, and we both have Psych degrees! Although those were 2nd degrees for both of us, and she is now only working part time since she is back in school AGAIN to become a nurse.

I have a BS in Information Sciences, and we were only required to take 100 level CS courses. I enjoyed these courses and learned enough to know that I could become a developer, but they were hardly the focus of my degree.

After graduating I got a job at a Big 4 consulting firm as a junior consultant and basically spent my first year assisting project managers (i.e. making copies and coffee). After that, I had some choice in what direction I wanted to go, and they sent me to some paid programming training and I came back to take on a role as a developer. It was pretty daunting at first, but I spent a few years doing that on a pretty crappy salary and I learned a ton. I now make good money doing contracting work on my own.

So, to echo what others have been saying, you don't really need a CS degree to become a programmer. You just need to look for opportunities that will allow you to go in that direction, and sometimes that just means getting your feet wet in the world of IT.

 

[Poulsonator]

given today's employment prospects and IT as a more mature job field do you think you'd have had as easy a time getting into IT with a non IT degree/background? 10 years back, if you knew how to type on a keyboard you could get a job in IT. i'm not sure if that's the case now though.

You are correct in that the IT field has completely changed. IT jobs are a bit harder to come by. But really, it's like anything else...focus on that field and continue your education. Since my first IT job in 1998, I've gotten another degree, and countless certifications. I'm working on my CCNP at the moment, with the ultimate goal of the CCIE.

 

[msw1382]

Tell me about it

<- Network admin with a degree in Architecture

I went to school for IT, but it's amazing that types of "network admins" I see in my company.

Some were civil and structural engineers, others were CAD managers and then there are some that just fell into the position because the knew how to install software.

 

[PingSpike]

given today's employment prospects and IT as a more mature job field do you think you'd have had as easy a time getting into IT with a non IT degree/background? 10 years back, if you knew how to type on a keyboard you could get a job in IT. i'm not sure if that's the case now though.

I've wondered about this myself. My area has kind of a bizarre job market so I'm not really sure how it works in more populated areas. But I recall way back before the .com bust it seemed like anyone with a pulse who could write 'HTML' on a resume could get an entry level job. I'd imagine if you were half way competent and made a couple good decisions back then you could at least get your foot in the door since there opportunities to at least get experience.

 

[piasabird]

Computer jobs can be hard to find in some locations. You have to be flexible and consider relocating to a better area. It is kind of odd sometimes. My son got a job while going to school at BYU. In High School he took Cisco Academy. He is cisco certified and has a few other certifications. He also has the federal certification to do some stock broker things like sell annuities. He is graduating in Physics and computer science. He had a job at some server farm support firm, so I told him to take his time in college and do a minor in computer science with the job market being the way that it is. Helps to have multiple skills in this job market. You never know what kind of job you will be doing. I presently am scanning documents for a living.

 

[Stuxnet]

I have this degree, started as an entry level c# developer. The pay was decent but I hated the job, so I quit and did some help desk, and worked myself up to web admin. Then I have been laid off 2 times, down to help desk again, and pretty sure I'll be laid off again in 6 months.

Best thing to do is aim high, and stay there. I wish I had just stuck it through with the programming, even though I hated it I would have been more successful.

On a side note, my wife's psychology licensing test she recently took had a question on what is the most stressful jobs right now. I was surprised to find that #1 was dental assistant and #2 was computer programmer.

I was actually in your shoes at one point about 10 years ago and went the other direction. I'm a Software Architect and am pretty damn tired of it. Coding is one of those things that you really need to LOVE if you intend to spend the rest of your life doing it, because it's stressful as hell and there is a rat race to keep your skills up to date.

I'd say it's far more important to enjoy what you're doing than it is to just rake in money. If you like IT, then don't second guess yourself. Dealing with layoffs is pretty traumatic, but you're employable and you like your work. Don't minimize the importance of that.

 

[Exterous]

given today's employment prospects and IT as a more mature job field do you think you'd have had as easy a time getting into IT with a non IT degree/background?

Yes and no. I think its harder to find a higher level/paying starting job without an IT degree but for basic entry level jobs (helpdesk, lvl 1 etc) they are usually looking (in my experience) for good people skills/dedication/problem solving than an IT degree. Assuming you are at least somewhat intelligent/computer savvy they can teach/you can learn most of the technical stuff but those personality traits are harder to come by. It might also hold true for some of the higher positions as that still held true for my current job position

That might be location though. There are several places around here where the unemployed utilized the 'Michigan Works' scholarships to go back to school for IT. They know what they were taught (kind of) but can do very little else in the field. (We're talking not recognizing Windows XP because they were never exposed to it in their networking class) My boss told me that he was astounded by the lack of knowledge these graduates had when he was interviewing candidates for my current job

 

[kyrax12]

Yes and no. I think its harder to find a higher level/paying starting job without an IT degree but for basic entry level jobs (helpdesk, lvl 1 etc) they are usually looking (in my experience) for good people skills/dedication/problem solving than an IT degree. Assuming you are at least slightly intelligent/computer savvy they can teach most of the technical stuff but those personality traits are harder to learn. It might also hold true for some of the higher positions as that still held true for my current job position

how hard on average is the IT field compared to the Accounting/business field?

 

[Stuxnet]

how hard on average is the IT field compared to the Accounting/business field?

What do you mean by 'hard'? Hard to get into, or hard as in job difficulty? Network/Systems Administration isn't that hard. The tools these days make the job rather routine, but it definitely has its stresses (server down = everyone looking at you). Software development is difficult, and even more stressful if you're on project work.

I would blow my head off if I was an Accountant.

 

[kyrax12]

What do you mean by 'hard'? Hard to get into, or hard as in job difficulty? Network/Systems Administration isn't that hard. The tools these days make the job rather routine, but it definitely has its stresses (server down = everyone looking at you). Software development is difficult, and even more stressful if you're on project work.

I would blow my head off if I was an Accountant.

how about both?

I am more worry with the "hard to get into" part though.

 

[Stuxnet]

how about both?

I am more worry with the "hard to get into" part though.

IT/IS and Accounting are two of the very few fields where job security remains relatively stable and finding new jobs - especially after you've gained experience - is almost trivial.

I have virtually zero fear when it comes to layoffs these days, because I know all I have to do is drop a little "I'm available" line on LinkedIn, and I'll be inundated with opportunities. Accounting, from what I've heard, isn't quite so in-demand, but it's an in-demand field nonetheless.

I can't stress how important it is to do what you enjoy, though. I *detest* my line of work these days, and there's nothing that a six figure salary and 99.9&#37; job security has been able to do to assuage that. And no, that's not a thinly veiled brag... I've found it very difficult to take the first steps in making a career change due to the golden handcuffs that come along with experience in software development.

 

[Exterous]

I can't stress how important it is to do what you enjoy, though.

Yeah - you may think the money is worth it but if you hate your job it will wear on you. You spend so much time at it the hate will seep into your personal life. You are tired/worn down/irritable all the time. The relief of getting off of work is all too quickly replaced by the doom and gloom of the reality that you will have to do it again tomorrow. Both my wife and I have had jobs we hated and, looking back, the rockiest parts of our marriage were during those times. Its *really* not worth the money to do it long term

 

[Blueychan]

I have had a lot of luck with this degree in finding jobs at smaller places with not much IT staff. I end up doing pretty much all things IT from desktop support to system administration to development.

I really enjoy not being pigeon holed into one specification.

I have a BS in CS and this is exactly what I do at my job at the moment. I work for a small growing company whose IT dept. is in it's infancy stage. I am learning on the job doing desktop support, system/network administration, security, and development. I like it better than one specialized job.