Anyone did MIS as their undergrad in college? How do you like the job? What is it like? I'm thinking about switching into MIS from Electrical Engineering, and already did research on it, but I would like to hear what people in the field actually think about it.
Questions for MIS People
- Thread starter QuantumSlip
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- Oct 28, 1999
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MIS is like CS "light". You dabble a bit in programming and do a little bit of networking stuff, and then get a little bit into business courses. You are basically familiar with a lot of things, but well versed in none of them. I graduated with a BS in CS, but for all intents and purposes, it was an MIS degree.
I don't know if I would so much worry about the degree as I would trying to score a good internship or job where I could build up good IT experience.
*Peronsally* I think MIS people are more diverse in their education and have more jobs available to them over EE, although it's not as presitgious of a degree and might not land you a job simply because of your degree.
Does that make sense?
I don't know if I would so much worry about the degree as I would trying to score a good internship or job where I could build up good IT experience.
*Peronsally* I think MIS people are more diverse in their education and have more jobs available to them over EE, although it's not as presitgious of a degree and might not land you a job simply because of your degree.
Does that make sense?
I got my BS in Business Admin with a Con. of MIS and Business MGT
If you can do all the math and other stuff for a Engineering degree, then go for it. Engineering will always be here, but there is a max overload of people with MIS and CS degrees right now.
If you can do all the math and other stuff for a Engineering degree, then go for it. Engineering will always be here, but there is a max overload of people with MIS and CS degrees right now.
Originally posted by: vi_edit
How do you get a BS in Business Admin? Wouldn't that fall under BA?
I've never seen business classes fall under BS.
Nope, have a Bachelor of Science degree above my desk right now. If you take less math or science classes you can get a BA but only like maybe 5-10 peopel don't get BS status when they Grad. from UNCW.
You guys know why it's so tempting? Because MIS is a joke compared to Engineering. Now maybe it's different other places, but the people I know who are MIS majors don't do very much work at all. Sounds good, especially since most engineering programs are a lot of work. Except you get out what you put into your college degree, and there are very few jobs where MIS looks good next to engineering.
Even in the field it is supposed to prepare you for, IT work, MIS falls short. First of all, IT moves so fast that what you learn in college will be not too useful by the time you get a job unless you keep up to date on your own. Secondly, having worked in some IT positions, I can tell you that the vast majority of IT workers don't have an IT degree, or even a technical degree. The people I worked with last summer had a PolySci degree, an education degree, no degree and a law degree (those are the ones I can remeber at any rate). Experience is a lot more valuable than any degree in the IT field. In any case, even if you want a degree that could get you a good IT job, I'd still stick with EE or Computer Engineering or Comp Sci because most people know that they are more difficult degrees than MIS and look better on your resume.
JMHO of course, and keep in mind I am a Computer Engineering student, but this is my opinion on it, take it or leave it.
Even in the field it is supposed to prepare you for, IT work, MIS falls short. First of all, IT moves so fast that what you learn in college will be not too useful by the time you get a job unless you keep up to date on your own. Secondly, having worked in some IT positions, I can tell you that the vast majority of IT workers don't have an IT degree, or even a technical degree. The people I worked with last summer had a PolySci degree, an education degree, no degree and a law degree (those are the ones I can remeber at any rate). Experience is a lot more valuable than any degree in the IT field. In any case, even if you want a degree that could get you a good IT job, I'd still stick with EE or Computer Engineering or Comp Sci because most people know that they are more difficult degrees than MIS and look better on your resume.
JMHO of course, and keep in mind I am a Computer Engineering student, but this is my opinion on it, take it or leave it.
Originally posted by: vi_edit
How do you get a BS in Business Admin? Wouldn't that fall under BA?
I've never seen business classes fall under BS.
Nope, it's a BS.
Listed on my transcript
What exactly is MIS? Isn't that a more business oriented field? Do the people go into IT or are they management-type people?
You're sposed to go into IT but the MIS courses generally don't teach you crap. I'm an MIS major graduating in May and I felt like the degree was a complete waste of time. I'm working as a an intern now at LSI Logic in the product management department and I'm not getting a job offer because I don't have an engineering degree. So if you want to be more employable get an engineering degree and an MBA. MIS is a worthless major in my opinion.
Well yeah MIS is a major located within the college of business so you are required to take business core classes such as econ, management and policy, operations management, accounting, finance, marketing, etc. Your core MIS major classes dabbles in some programing, data communications, uer interface design, and systems analysis. I graduated with this degree a year ago and yeah as everyone here says, EE or CE is WAY more respected in terms of major. Back in the day when the economy was doing well MIS/CIS majors were kinda in demand becasue there were so many startups and for one reason or another they thought that they needed people who could be the bridge between the crazy technical (CS, EE, CE) with the hardcare business and upper management people (MBA). These days we are just pretty much useless...if you do not have real job experience you are screwed within IT. If you even apply for entry-level management positions you are also shunned a tad because you have a "technical" background. My advice to all is if you are in MIS now, get out...you are not needed nor will you be needed in the near future. Jump over to accounting if you want a job (yeah your life will suck cuz you will be auditing all day but at least you'll be employed) or even finance if you want to risk it. If you can pull off the math/physics go for engineering or CS, depending on how much you like to program...but engineering would be the best cuz you have a very good chance of getting a jobby afterwards.
May I ask what kind of job you are doing now Shanteli? Yea I am very disappointed with the degree to and we should get a refund on the damn thing and schools need to know that it is worthless. Oh well guess it's going to be engineering or law school for me.
Well lets see...I graduated in May of 2002, I had 2 internships during my senior year. Had around 8-10 interviews...got no offers from any of them. In June I got a call from one of my old internships offering me a position....I knew it was going to be some type of phone support (meaning that you are not allowed to leave your desk...it is a total call center position)...I didn't want it but was desparate so I took it. Did that for 2 months, hated the job, asked old boss for transfer to internal IT dept. Request denied. After that he made my life there hell. A few more bumping of heads and then I was terminated. Sat around for 3 months looking for more stuff...nothing...ran out of money...had to move back home. At home unemployed for 2 more months....found a crappy job at a casino getting paid 10 bucks an hour to do data entry and toy around with a AS/400 mainframe (boring as hell). Did that for a week, knew I would not last there long with my sanity, made up some excuse about grad school and left that job. Applied as a non-degree-seeking grad student. Took hardcore bio/science classes to mybe become a nurse, hated the whole thing, found a PT student worker IT position within the University. Stayed there for a 2 semesters, decided to try to "go out there" to find a job again becasue student worker level positions are not taken seriously even if you have IT work. Moved back to where I went to college, unemployed for 1 month. Found a PT staff worker IT position, went back to school for really cheap to try to go for speech and hearing sciences, boring subject. Found a consulting position for a local charter school and did work for them for a few months...and here I am now....still with my PT Univeristy job and applying for grad school for MIS next fall. In a nutshell if you have an MIS or any business degree you are not taken really seriously within academia outside of the college of business. If you want to get a MS is something else you will have to take a TON of prerequisite classes that will eat up 2-3 years just for that, not counting the program. And yes there is always law school as the only professional program that you could go right into but that is not for everyone....certainly not me. So yeah my situation is "ok" right now but by no means good. I am barely paying my bills with just a PT gig. If this MS in MIS fails then I guess accounting, finance, or an MBA will be attempted. If those are also denied then screw school. One of these days I'll move again to a town I really want to be in and if I fail there then there then just keep 500 bucks stashed away in a savings account so that you can buy a decent gun and end the hell that happens after making one bad decision in life (i.e. choosing MIS as a major). Good luck though buddy! Maybe you have more luck than others.
All of the other MIS majors I graduated with are
1) In grad school for MIS
2) Married and sitting at home barefoot and pregnant (for the chicas)
3) Unemployed -- Still
4) Sent back to India and probably working for Dell over there or unemployed
5) Working at CompUSA as middle management
6) Law school
7) Used their secondary majors to get jobs i.e. accounting/MIS people.
All of the other MIS majors I graduated with are
1) In grad school for MIS
2) Married and sitting at home barefoot and pregnant (for the chicas)
3) Unemployed -- Still
4) Sent back to India and probably working for Dell over there or unemployed
5) Working at CompUSA as middle management
6) Law school
7) Used their secondary majors to get jobs i.e. accounting/MIS people.
I have a degree in CS and a degree in MIS (btw, mine is "BSofBA" also)
MIS students complained if they had to write one line of code, or if they *gasp* had to learn how to convert binary to decimal! It was a joke, I did 90% of my MIS requirements after I completed my CS requirements, and believe me when I say that I got "stupider" during that time.
MIS students complained if they had to write one line of code, or if they *gasp* had to learn how to convert binary to decimal! It was a joke, I did 90% of my MIS requirements after I completed my CS requirements, and believe me when I say that I got "stupider" during that time.
Talk about depressing.
I am an EE student.
Calculus for me is VERY doable, and I am doing a'ight.
Physics is a CATASTROPHE> I am BOMB EVERY TEST. BOMB EVERY HW. Still, better than MIS it seems.
I actually remember speaking to an MIS grad last fall. Let me say, his knowledge was VERY broad. He knew concepts, but when it came time to see how he would apply his knowledge it was a dismal performance by him at best.
I guess I should have added, I am still looking for a job and Grad. im May.
But I will NOT do help desk and I do not write code. But at the same time I do not want to be behind a computer all day. I did MIS to make me stand out from all the other Mgt students.
But I will NOT do help desk and I do not write code. But at the same time I do not want to be behind a computer all day. I did MIS to make me stand out from all the other Mgt students.
- Oct 28, 1999
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And that's why you are still unemployed. It's called taking your lumps and getting some experience. Unless you have a family member or a friend in a very high place, you just don't walk into a management position fresh after earning a degree.
A degree isn't a magical ticket to a good job.
I wouldn't even bother with a masters in MIS. I would rather get an MBA. Looks like getting an EE degree is a real possibility for me after I finish my POS MIS degree in May.
Nightfall
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- Nov 16, 1999
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I currently have my B.S. degree in Computer Information Systems. All through college, I had two internships and worked on campus as a student network admin. Pretty much, I helped maintain the network, run ethernet, and so on. My internships were the same way. I got a lot of good experience.
My first job out of college in 1997 was a network installer. I would prep servers and roll them out to certain companies that bought them from our company. It was a pretty easy job since I dealt with all that technology in college and I was paid decently. Now, I am an IT Manager/Network Engineer. I do just about everything actually from desktop support to help desk all the way up to programming Cisco routers and managing a couple employees.
In short, a college degree will help you find a job. No doubt about that. However, your work ethic is also the key. After you graduate, expect to take a job where you aren't going to get paid 80k a year. You don't start out at the top. Everyone starts at the bottom usually. After you build experience at working in the work world, then you will move up slowly.
If you want 80k out of college, ditch IT and go into Pharmacy. My wife is a pharmacist and she makes almost double what I make.
Now, I hear a lot of people bitching about how they can't get a high paying job in IT right out of college. Well, you can't right now. Maybe you could back when I got out of college in 1997. Expect to take a job to get started and work your way up to where you want to be. Second, I hear people describe people with IT degrees as lazy and complaining because they have to do work. Let me give you a piece of advice, anyone who complains about that won't be successful in a job or life. Sure, they may be successful now, but wait until they get canned or move on to another job. Their next job will be at McDonalds or the Family Dollar store.
Electrical Engineering is a good degree. I have a friend who graduates this coming May with his degree in that and has already found a job. However, if you have a desire to work with computers and IT, then maybe you can change degrees. It all depends on your drive and determination to learn.
My first job out of college in 1997 was a network installer. I would prep servers and roll them out to certain companies that bought them from our company. It was a pretty easy job since I dealt with all that technology in college and I was paid decently. Now, I am an IT Manager/Network Engineer. I do just about everything actually from desktop support to help desk all the way up to programming Cisco routers and managing a couple employees.
In short, a college degree will help you find a job. No doubt about that. However, your work ethic is also the key. After you graduate, expect to take a job where you aren't going to get paid 80k a year. You don't start out at the top. Everyone starts at the bottom usually. After you build experience at working in the work world, then you will move up slowly.
If you want 80k out of college, ditch IT and go into Pharmacy. My wife is a pharmacist and she makes almost double what I make.
Now, I hear a lot of people bitching about how they can't get a high paying job in IT right out of college. Well, you can't right now. Maybe you could back when I got out of college in 1997. Expect to take a job to get started and work your way up to where you want to be. Second, I hear people describe people with IT degrees as lazy and complaining because they have to do work. Let me give you a piece of advice, anyone who complains about that won't be successful in a job or life. Sure, they may be successful now, but wait until they get canned or move on to another job. Their next job will be at McDonalds or the Family Dollar store.
Electrical Engineering is a good degree. I have a friend who graduates this coming May with his degree in that and has already found a job. However, if you have a desire to work with computers and IT, then maybe you can change degrees. It all depends on your drive and determination to learn.
You shouldn't worry if you're bombing physics. Just don't go into an EE field that's more physics-intensive
Are you going for a BS or MS in EE? I don't think any concepts you learn in MIS would apply towards an MSEE!
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