I think I found my major group. AIS, MIS, Accounting. Where do people work?

College Majors Business Major
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<p>I'm a very technical person. I like computers and technology. I've played with Linux, Windows, Mac..etc. I remember playing with batch files as a little kid. However I currently can not program, and would like to fix that, but I don't want to program as a career. I dream of giving the occasional speech or presenting a product at CES or some trade show. </p>

<p>I am probably capable of doing the math required for a CS degree, but I HATE math. I don't want to. Plus, it would take me 2 years to get it all done. I took an intro to accounting course at the community college, and I LIKE it. I had been putting off that class thinking I would hate it. It was an easy A. I would seriously consider furthering my education in accounting. However, I don't think I want to be an accountant going though journal entries to find that missing $5. </p>

<p>I discovered AIS and MIS and got excited. I found what I should major in. Then, I started reading and saw comments like "MIS/CIS is for CS dropouts". Honestly, I can understand where that comment comes from. </p>

<p>Where do people with MIS go? What do they do? There is a gap in my mind in the path of getting the degree and getting a career here. Someone here even said it was a great degree to be unemployed with. That makes be very nervous. I liked reading this post of his experences. (<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/14891228-post11.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/14891228-post11.html&lt;/a&gt;) I'm closest to getting that degree. Surely it's better than majoring in Psychology or Communications? General Degree, General Job, right? </p>

<p>I could spend a couple years and catch up on all my math, but if I'm investing that kind of time, I might as well consider catching up on Bio, Anat and Physio and becoming a Nurse. That opens up the possibilities quite wide.</p>

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<p>Go do some research. MIS is especially good for the B4.</p>

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<p>As someone who was going to major in MIS and then changed my mind, I can give you an idea. The careers reserved for someone in MIS usually depends on the specific courses in the program itself. MIS usually has more management courses than programming which kind of gears the jobs in this major to more of a management role. </p>

<p>That said, you’ll need to have a strong programming background because the main job available to MIS majors is that of a System or Business Analyst. The problem with the MIS major then lies in the fact that it doesn’t have many programming courses available to it, so it leaves MIS grads with the need for foundational computing theory. As a result, many CS majors disregard this major as a dropout major for CS because it usually has less or lower level programming and Computer Science courses. </p>

<p>Therefore, MIS majors are really not prepared for the most popular jobs available to it because the major itself doesn’t include a stronger programming background. A System Analyst/Business Analyst basically evaluates the needs of the business and then writes the specifications and communicates with the IT personnel and programmers to develop and write software that meets the businesses needs.</p>

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<p>Thank you for the advice. I cant wait to take the programming logic and programming to see how well I like it. </p>

<p>One thing that concerns me, and seems to be confirmed by people’s experience here, is that according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook ([Computer</a> and Information Systems Managers : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics](<a href=“http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Management/Computer-and-information-systems-managers.htm]Computer”>http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Management/Computer-and-information-systems-managers.htm)</p>

<p>IS Managers need 5 years experience and a bachelors degree. Well, there is nothing to bridge the gap between getting your degree and that 5 years. </p>

<p>[Computer</a> Systems Analysts : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics](<a href=“http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-systems-analysts.htm]Computer”>http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-systems-analysts.htm)</p>

<p>Systems Analysts however, seems easier to get into. But even that field I suspect a CS is preferred. </p>

<p>I’m thinking of majoring in AIS or Accounting. Even AIS seems to be one of those in-between fields more so than MIS because I can’t find much written about it. Searching for IT Audit on BLS brings up financials. </p>

<p>It’s like all these majors are different, but related.</p>

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<p>Programming is fun and challenging but it really takes a love for the subject to really get into it. I personally found that while I enjoyed programming, I didn’t enjoy it enough to make it a career. As a result, I found MIS was not for me because of the necessity to have a strong IT/CS background. </p>

<p>I would recommend taking programming courses to see how you like them. If you do like them, you might be able to get by by learning a few programming languages on your own. The stronger your IT background, the more of a chance you have of being able to get a job with a MIS degree without the need for programming.</p>

<p>The reason an IS Manager needs 5 years of experience is basically because they are the manager of all the IT/IS/CS personnel. They need to have lots of experience being a programmer or Network Admin themselves before they can manage them. If you wanted to go this route, I’d suggest you pick an IT career to focus on, get the qualifications for that career and then be in that career for a long time (at least 3 years). From there branch out to other IT careers. Once you’ve acquired enough experience doing all sorts of IT jobs, you could very well be a IS manager and you would have aquired the 5+ years experience through your other jobs.</p>

<p>Here’s the deal with System Analysts: The reason why they ask for a CS rather than any other degree is that similarly to a Business Analyst, they have to write the specs for the software or the computers or systems that a business is going to plan on having in the future. They also analyze what the benefits and costs are going to be for those systems.</p>

<p>Honestly man, my advice for going into a tech field is going into the one that most coincides with what you want to do. If you want to do Networking, try to get a Networking Degree (usually an Associates) but can land you a Junior Tech position. Likewise if you want to fix computers, try to get an Associates or Bachelors in IT or IS. </p>

<p>Like I said in some other threads, since the job of Business and System Analyst are similar, some companies have begun to combine the job into one so it makes it harder for those without the IT skills to become one.</p>

<p>It all boils down to this:</p>

<p>Science (CS or other): The science of solving problems through the use of computers.</p>

<p>Systems: (MIS, IS, AIS or other): How computers and networks help humans do their jobs</p>

<p>Technology: (IT, ITS, etc): All the different aspects of computer from hardware to software that store and transmit data.</p>

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<p>Thank you for the breakdown. I liked reading about the differences in the degrees. I cant wait to try programming. </p>

<p>So I have two options. 1) Finish at the Community College and transfer. 2) Get an AA that could land me a job doing something. Maybe Tier 1/2 Tech Support or Networking.</p>

<p>Some of the reading and research I have been doing has caused me to re-evaluate my desires and objectives. I may evolve this to a new post on a different forum…</p>

<p>I know I want to work with people. I’m not the worlds largest extrovert or door-to-door salesman but I do like customer service and training and presenting and maybe corporate sales. I could see myself as the rep a company sends to CES or some such trade show or giving a presentation. I like explaining technical concepts.</p>

<p>I like computers and technology. I remember playing with batch files on old old computers. I remember as a kid spending hours with them. I’ve tinkered with Linux, Windows, OSX, Android. I dont see myself as a full time programmer. With Windows 7/8 being released I find myself interested in UI/GUI design and the 4 Cs. </p>

<p>I like convenience. Part of the reason I played with the batch files was so I could create a menu system to run things off of a floppy disk without having to memories commands or parameters, and batch files were the best language I had at the time to do it. </p>

<p>I don’t have the math to be and engineer. While I’m sure I could do the math, I’m not sure I’d be happy with the huge workload. Math was always a pain in the past, but I was younger then. I do like the logic behind math. </p>

<p>I’m also mechanical. I’ve rebuilt an engine, worked on my cars, took apart many many things. I’ve painted, ran cable, but I sure as hell don’t want to be a mechanic. </p>

<p>Apparently, I like accounting. I like how everything balances out in the end. I like how it works as a language/system. Everything has a place, a rhyme, a reason. I easily aced my intro to accounting course. I don’t know if I want to be a number cruncher. </p>

<p>What could combine all these things into one? I don’t mind starting anywhere I need to start. Its like… I want to know enough about programming to program but would rather be a liaison between programmers and “regular” people. I like tech but don’t want to be an engineer. </p>

<p>Maybe I want to find applications for technology or figure how how it can be best used?</p>

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<p>It seems like you have a knack for technology and seem to enjoy it. That’s always a good thing when pursuing a tech job! What I’ll suggest to you was essentially going to be my plan. It’s easier to get into business when you’re an IT professional than vice versa if you were a business person going into technology. </p>

<p>What I suggest is this: Figure out where your niche is in IT by taking a few courses here and there. While usually a CC doesn’t allow as many electives as a university, you should be able to squeeze a couple in there before you have to pick a major. Once you’ve found a few computer courses that really get you fired up, you can decide on the education level you should attain (Associates or otherwise). It isn’t necessary to get a Bachelors for everything in IT since IT really cares more about the skills, certifications, and experience you have more than any particular degree. That said, it’s hard to get some jobs without a Bachelors in Computer Science, so it’s something to keep in the back of your mind. </p>

<p>If you’ve decided to go for either a Bachelors in IT or CS, then I would suggest getting a minor in Business Administration, Finance, or Management. I was essentially going to do this because my plan was to get a CS degree and minor in Accounting. However, like I’ve said previously, I couldn’t imagine being in CS full time because programming just didn’t do it for me. I realized I didn’t love it even if I was capable of doing it. </p>

<p>By the way, I don’t mean to discourage you or anyone else from getting their MIS. I’ve just wanted to note from my experience that it wasn’t a worthy investment. If the MIS program you end up in has a lot of IT tracks or sets you up with a good background, then you’ll be fine. You’ll still have to compete with those people who have majored in IT or CS, though. </p>

<p>In the end, I believe we’re pretty similar. When I was first going to college, that’s all I wanted to do: I thought MIS was the perfect blend of business and computers and it paid very well. However, I got disillusioned by it pretty quickly. Similarly to yourself, I’m at CC seemingly unsure of what I want to do. Recently though I’ve narrowed my focus to Accounting. I think you really just need to see what classes you enjoyed the most and pursue those, even if they’re hard. In this way, you’ll hopefully be able to narrow your focus as well.</p>

<p>Finally, to address your last point about possibly wanting to be the go-to guy, to suggest new technologies for people; that sounds awfully like what an IT consultant does. In which case, there’s good and bad news. The good news is that an IT consultant does not need a particular degree, the bad news is that they usually need lots of experience and credibility. An IT consultant basically sells his time to companies or clients and works contracts or freelance to sell people his/her expertise on different technologies, implementation strategies, etc. That’s another possibility (after you get some IT experience, of course).</p>

<p>Good luck to you! I hope you figure it out.</p>

<p>Note: I’ll include a link to my college’s MIS program (this an example of what a MIS program might look like, hence why you need a stronger IT background) <a href=“http://bristol.smartcatalogiq.com/en/Catalogs/Bristol-Community-College/2012-2013/Catalog/Programs-of-Study/Computer-Information-Systems-Transfer/Information-Systems-Transfer-Program[/url]”>http://bristol.smartcatalogiq.com/en/Catalogs/Bristol-Community-College/2012-2013/Catalog/Programs-of-Study/Computer-Information-Systems-Transfer/Information-Systems-Transfer-Program&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Op, i think it sounds like a good fit for you. We have an entire team where i work of batch writers! It’s actually on my list of things to learn this year.</p>

<p>Sent from my DROID BIONIC using CC</p>