Information Systems isn't an option for me anymore

College Majors Business Major
1

<p>Recently, I've been reading a lot of threads from different websites of recent and even old IT grads not being able to find jobs in America. I understand it's hard to assume that this is happening to the majority but regardless I feel like I need to bring it up. From what I've read most IT jobs require experience, and fresh college grads will have a hard time getting their foot in the door unless they know someone or have completed A LOT of certifications. Even if they do get their foot in the door, they'll have to continue to renew their certifications every 2-3 years. It's costly and time consuming. Most IT jobs are moving overseas, and the IT jobs that remain in America are being taken by those who already have experience. </p>

<p>I'm in my sophomore year in college. I've changed my majors several times (Engineering->Biology->Information Systems). After reading all this I think I want to switch majors again. I haven't thoroughly looked into the options I have but I've considered Accounting. It's only until this current semester that I took more business oriented classes. So in the sake of making those classes count towards my degree, I'd like to switch to another business oriented major with better prospects and easier to find entry level jobs than IT. I need some suggestions, this is really depressing.</p>

2

<p>Especially since you have changed your major multiple times (and extended graduation I assume?), if you can actually get an IT job (maybe a decent internship would be a positive indicator), I would say stay in the major if you can graduate soon. Getting your first work experience is a problem even in Accounting…though, as you probably read in my other post, Accounting doesn’t have as many additional problems as IT, at least not yet. If I could actually get an IT offer, I would accept it, just to get the work experience and transition into another field with an MBA five or so years later. But I cannot get that offer, and it is the same for countless others and many more to come.</p>

<p>Basically what I am saying is, if it looks like you won’t get a job with your IS degree, I agree you should get out now. But if you are actually seeing decent positive indicators about your personal chances due to whatever reasons (skills, experience, interviews, internships, the school/department reputation, school’s IS-major career statistics, etc…), maybe you should stick it out if you don’t have a long way to go, and try to get a job ASAP even if you plan to get out of the field in the long-term before it goes <em>completely</em> downhill.</p>

<p>I am just trying to make people realize that in most cases it is a bad idea to go for a MIS/CIS/IT/IS/BIS/BIT/BCIS degree and in many cases it is a bad idea to even go for a CS degree. However, it is not universal…everyone’s individual situation is unique. But the mainstream corporate media is relaying the message of these big corporations:</p>

<p>“If you’re unemployed, it is because you did not get a STEM degree. There is not enough STEM experienced workers. There is not enough STEM students/graduates. If you get a STEM education/training, you can automatically get a job relatively soon. There are massive amounts of legitimate, decent STEM jobs waiting to be filled.”</p>

<p>None of these claims are true, and it’s outrageous that the media and Corporate America are spreading this message, fooling young people as early as high-school, just to quell public outcry about outsourcing and import more and more cheap foreign workers (who they often treat as near-slaves themselves).</p>

<p>Good luck, whatever you do.</p>

3

<p>Thanks. This definitely helped me.</p>

4

<p>So avoid a degree in MIS?</p>

<p>This place makes it seem like any business degree not accounting or finance is complete and utter rubbish.</p>

<p>Is this true?</p>

5

<p>CS is a good degree, if you are skilled and you keep up with current technologies (learning thoroughly a new technology or language in your free time at least every 2-3 months)</p>

<p>The software field is growing twice faster than the total for all occupations.</p>

<p>Part of the reason why there’s outsourcing is that there’s not enough skill in the US to hire. We’re on our way to having four times more available jobs/year than graduates/year.</p>

<p>In this digital age, software runs much of our daily lives, and people are needed to create and maintain that software.</p>

6

<p>I am on track for a MIS major / CS minor. Should I bail out now? Is is realistic to be able to find an internship in two years from a California State University (Not UC or private)?</p>

7

<p>I have an IS degree and work in IT. It’s the one area of our company that always seems to be hiring. Can’t speak for other people. We currently have a few IT interns that are MIS majors as well. Try to find an internship. Send your resume out to places even if they don’t have a posting up. You never know when something doesn’t work out or places decide they need extra help. </p>

<p>Get your foot in the door with a company… who knows, maybe they will keep you on board.</p>

8

<p>IT is very much a “what have you done lately” field. Monrojo, I would not bail on the field just because of where your degree is from. Try to get an internship or part time job doing some IT work, and build from there as you finish your degree. Tons of people managing IT departments went to the small, regional colleges (not even state schools). They aren’t all gunning for an MIT or CMU or even UC level hires. They just want someone smart and reliable who is willing to work hard and can get along with a team.</p>

<p>It is true that a lot of the programming jobs are being offshored. But project managers, business analysts, infrastructure experts, etc. are still in strong demand here. People who have to interface with the business and hardware are still onshore. A lot of smaller companies are also not offshoring, that is more of a big company thing. So there are definitely jobs here, and will be for some time.</p>

<p>I am a project manager, and do have a PMP certification that I renew every three years. I have to do some training for that; sometimes my clients pay for that training, though, and if I worked for a company instead of being an independent contractor I know my company would usually pay for it. Even if I have to pay for it, I can find cheap options. Usually I can get enough online training to renew for about $1,000 total (spread over 3 years) if I have to pay. So that is not that big a deal, don’t let it scare you off.</p>

<p>Bottom line, if you are smart and hardworking, you will probably get an IT job here in the US. I know a ton of people in IT who are just not the brightest bulbs, and a few of those who struggle to remain employed. But the sharp ones don’t have a lot of trouble.</p>