Hmm... What to do? Need some advice on College Major. (Warning: Massive Post)

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
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I'm currently finishing my first year of college. I am pretty much done with the general education program and need to start enrolling in classes for a major. The only problem is that I don't have a major yet. I'm very confused as to what I want to do with the rest of my life and would like advice from some of you guys that have already been through this ordeal. :p

I've been into "computer stuff" pretty much my entire life, and I was always under the impression that I would go into CS or some sort of computer engineering field (before I even knew what the majors entailed).
In high school, I discovered that I hated programming. I despised programming; it was boring and repetitive, and I sucked at it. I decided that CS was not the right thing for me. I started looking into networking/IT stuff and took a few Cisco sponsored classes at my HS that were aimed at CCNA certifications. When I started looking at college majors, I realized that IT was basically programming with a bit of networking thrown in. (This is what IT is like at my university at least. It requires only one less programming class than a CS major.)
I started reconsidering whether I wanted to persue anything in the CS division, as each major pretty much boiled down to programming and high level math (I also don't like math. I am not bad at the subject, I just don't enjoy it.)

I'm looking at MIS in the college of business right now. I know lots of the people on these boards regard MIS as a useless major for CS wannabe's, but whatever. The curriculum looks decent, but I am starting to think that maybe I would be better off with a straight business (like management or something) degree rather than a pseudo-IT, pseudo-Business degree. The other thing that interests me is Digital Media. Quite different from the other two choices; but I like photoshop, web design, CG, film editing, etc. although I am not particularly skilled at any of this (mostly because I just haven't persued it yet.)

So here are my choices as of now:

MIS:
- Not really sure what I would be doing for a career if I chose this (network admin? database? helpdesk *eek*?)
- All the recent talk of computer related jobs going overseas could be a problem.

Business:
- I have heard these degrees are a dime-a-dozen and are worthless when trying to find work (?)
- Very broad major, many possible career paths.
- I would like to have a job that relates to computers, as I am most comfortable working with them.

Digtal Media:
- Very interested in this, I could potentially love a job in this field.
- Not sure about job availability, would probably be harder finding work.
- I am not really very skilled at media-type stuff. (although I would love to learn)

I also was thinking about doing either MIS or Business and minoring in Digital Media, I'm just not sure what to do. :confused:

If you have read this far, many of you are probably thinking, "he should just do what he LIKES and not worry about jobs right now"...
I think it's very important for me to major in something that I will enjoy doing for many years, but I think it would be foolish to ignore the problem of actually finding a job when I graduate.

Anyone that has majored in Business (any track), MIS, or Digital Media: please post here, stating your major, your current job, and how you like it. Any help is greatly appreciated... thanks. :)
 

DaVortex

Senior member
Mar 9, 2004
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when I read your post it felt like I wrote it. I am currently in my 2nd year of college. I went to tech school for computer networking before college. I am also in the middle of picking a major most likely I will pick Business/IT. Right now computer jobs are scarse but I think in about 5years it will be more available.
 

Jumpem

Lifer
Sep 21, 2000
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I'd go business with a minor in IT. Take some IT classes for your electives.

I'm about to graduate with a CS degree.. sometimes I wish I would have gone for finance instead.
 

SarcasticDwarf

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2001
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I am finishing my second year of college in Wisconsin. A couple of comments on the MIS degree. Nobody I have met really cares if you have a MIS degree. It seems to be one big (and expensive) joke. Also, I have not met anyone competant at their job that has a MIS degree.
 

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
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My university doesn't offer a minor in IT, only MIS.
I suppose I could do Business major / MIS minor. That sounds like a good plan actually, I don't know why I didn't consider that before.

I have to register for next semester in about a week. I was planning on taking a history (last class in gen ed. requirements), a couple classes required of all business majors (some finance class and quantitative business tools), and possibly an elective or two related to digital media... just to "test the waters".
 

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
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Originally posted by: DeathByAnts
I am finishing my second year of college in Wisconsin. A couple of comments on the MIS degree. Nobody I have met really cares if you have a MIS degree. It seems to be one big (and expensive) joke. Also, I have not met anyone competant at their job that has a MIS degree.

Do you mean employers that don't care about MIS? They regard it as pretty much worthless?
Also, what jobs were the incompetent people you met doing? :p
 

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
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I also would really like to hear some experiences from a Digital Media major. I'm sure there are at least a couple of them around here.
 

SarcasticDwarf

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2001
9,574
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Originally posted by: Vortex22
Originally posted by: DeathByAnts
I am finishing my second year of college in Wisconsin. A couple of comments on the MIS degree. Nobody I have met really cares if you have a MIS degree. It seems to be one big (and expensive) joke. Also, I have not met anyone competant at their job that has a MIS degree.

Do you mean employers that don't care about MIS? They regard it as pretty much worthless?
Also, what jobs were the incompetent people you met doing? :p

I wouldn't know from an employers perspective, but that is what the general conscencious is with geeky people I know. I have seen some really incompetant people (more with MIS degrees than with CS degrees) doing network administration.
 

Kyteland

Diamond Member
Dec 30, 2002
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Any more "being into computers" doesn't seem to be enough to pursue a degree in CS. Computer skills are something that you'll need in any field you go in to. If you don't like programming find something you do like. You mentioned business school. Do you like that, or are you just throwing it out there as an alternative?
 

PHiuR

Diamond Member
Apr 24, 2001
9,539
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Originally posted by: Vortex22
I also would really like to hear some experiences from a Digital Media major. I'm sure there are at least a couple of them around here.

I got accepted into the Drexel University Digital Media program...looks really fun...when i went and visited it. but they just aren't giving me enough money so i am probably just going to go to RIT for Information Technology with New Media... sigh...
 

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
4,976
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Originally posted by: Kyteland
Any more "being into computers" doesn't seem to be enough to pursue a degree in CS. Computer skills are something that you'll need in any field you go in to. If you don't like programming find something you do like. You mentioned business school. Do you like that, or are you just throwing it out there as an alternative?

I don't know. :(
The most I can say is that I could see myself working in the business field.
 

Jumpem

Lifer
Sep 21, 2000
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Originally posted by: Vortex22
Anyone else?

Check with your school's career office. Perhaps you can shadow a couple people with different business or IT jobs to see what suits you.
 

rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,844
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Originally posted by: Jumpem
I'd go business with a minor in IT. Take some IT classes for your electives.

I'm about to graduate with a CS degree.. sometimes I wish I would have gone for finance instead.
I'm gonna go with this one. CS is saturated with people out of work. They graduate and there's a backlog. Plus, tell me I'm wrong - all you do all day is sit in front of a computer and code. Now think 30 years ahead. No thanks.

At least with a business degree with IT skills, you're open to just about anything. Look at the healthcare IT also.

 

NTB

Diamond Member
Mar 26, 2001
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Originally posted by: rh71
Originally posted by: Jumpem
I'd go business with a minor in IT. Take some IT classes for your electives.

I'm about to graduate with a CS degree.. sometimes I wish I would have gone for finance instead.
I'm gonna go with this one. CS is saturated with people out of work. They graduate and there's a backlog. Plus, tell me I'm wrong - all you do all day is sit in front of a computer and code. Now think 30 years ahead. No thanks.

At least with a business degree with IT skills, you're open to just about anything. Look at the healthcare IT also.

Another near-graduate here (CS degree). I wish I had taken the time to get a teaching certificate, or that I had the patience to go past my BS to a Masters/PhD; then I could teach all of this stuff - that would be neat. Unfortunately, it's too late for the Cert, and I'm just burnt out on school in general. Maybe I'll go for the higher degrees later. Still means I have to find a job though :(

Nate
 

Vortex22

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2000
4,976
1
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Originally posted by: rh71
Originally posted by: Jumpem
I'd go business with a minor in IT. Take some IT classes for your electives.

I'm about to graduate with a CS degree.. sometimes I wish I would have gone for finance instead.
I'm gonna go with this one. CS is saturated with people out of work. They graduate and there's a backlog. Plus, tell me I'm wrong - all you do all day is sit in front of a computer and code. Now think 30 years ahead. No thanks.

At least with a business degree with IT skills, you're open to just about anything. Look at the healthcare IT also.

I'm definately considering something like this now. The closest I can do at my university is Business with MIS minor (no IT minor offered), but I could take similar classes since it's pretty open ended. What business track should I take? Finance seems to be all the rage right now. I don't want to do general business, bleh. I could do management, but that would be kind of redundant with a MIS minor.
 

Jumpem

Lifer
Sep 21, 2000
10,757
3
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Originally posted by: NTB
Originally posted by: rh71
Originally posted by: Jumpem
I'd go business with a minor in IT. Take some IT classes for your electives.

I'm about to graduate with a CS degree.. sometimes I wish I would have gone for finance instead.
I'm gonna go with this one. CS is saturated with people out of work. They graduate and there's a backlog. Plus, tell me I'm wrong - all you do all day is sit in front of a computer and code. Now think 30 years ahead. No thanks.

At least with a business degree with IT skills, you're open to just about anything. Look at the healthcare IT also.

Another near-graduate here (CS degree). I wish I had taken the time to get a teaching certificate, or that I had the patience to go past my BS to a Masters/PhD; then I could teach all of this stuff - that would be neat. Unfortunately, it's too late for the Cert, and I'm just burnt out on school in general. Maybe I'll go for the higher degrees later. Still means I have to find a job though :(

Nate

I'm not sure I want to program forever. I'm thinking of getting an MBA after I graduate. That way I can get a job on the technical or managerial side of things.