BS MIS degree worth it?

escane99

Hey brief background: I am still a senior in high school, graduating in March, and I have been accepted in BS MIS in one of the top leading schools here in my country. Unlike the majority of you guys, I've got zero, and I mean zero, experience in these tech stuff. However, I find myself drawn to it and the I.T. Profession so I decided that BS MIS would be the best bet since it's somehow a combination of Business Administration, Computer Science, and Management Eng, from what I've heard.

The problem is that I am having doubts whether this course would be the best for me in the future. I am not sure if this would give me a stable job, or even a job at all when I graduate. I've also considered shifting to Computer Science before the start of college.

That's why I would like to ask your opinions on whether MIS is worth it. My other options/college courses include Accountancy (and believe me, i do not want this haha)

EANx

IT isn't like business, companies don't expect to hire someone with a solid understanding of theory and train them up. In IT, you're expected to already have some skills when you come on, probably as a help-desk analyst or desk-side tech. How much hands-on will this degree give you? How much are you looking at borrowing over the course of the degree? The only thing worse than a degree that doesn't get you a job is having borrowed $50,000 to get the degree.

What specifically do you want to do in the industry? A degree is always helpful but it's far more helpful for the IT business analyst or project manager than it is the hands-on technician. If you think you want to do hands-on, maybe a better start would be a couple of courses at the community college (or country-specific equivalent) focusing on hardware (A+) and/or a Microsoft course.

DatabaseHead

I agree the combination of BA, CS and Management is correct for MIS. I personally think these types of degrees are money grabs. This reminds me of the CIS with an emphasis in service management. I don't know the cost and the details, but if you end up assuming debt on this degree I would consider going for a program with more specialization.

Actuarial Science
Computer Science
Finance
Engineering
Software Development

Just my opinion.

Either way, good luck on your journey. Enjoy it!

srabiee

Honestly, I think the most important thing is that you obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in an IT-related field. That will open many doors and opportunities to obtain a position when you graduate and allow you to accrue valuable experience. Certifications will be the third piece of puzzle (depending on what IT career path you want to focus on).

The money will come with time, effort, and experience.

For now, I think the most important thing is that whatever degree you choose, it's from a regionally-accredited university, and I highly recommend that you stay away from for-profit institutions. Study your butt off and learn as much as you can during the time that you're a student.

As far as what particular degree plan to choose, only you can answer that question. What aspect of IT interests you the most? Networking? Engineering? Programming? Security? If you don't know now, see if there's more of a "generic" BS in computer science or information technology. Honestly, with a degree like that, you can do anything you want to do given the pertinent experience down the road.

As a side note, I hear computer science degrees are more rigorous (more math and science) and would probably be of more value if you wanted to pursue computer programming or software development.

But again, I reiterate, the degree is to open up opportunities and then experience becomes king (with certs also playing a factor).

paul78

It's great that you are thinking of it now. I never completed my degree so take my anonymous opinion for what it's worth My comments assume you are US based and planning attend a US-based institution and work in the US.

I personally would always advocate going for a computer science, software engineering, or computer engineering degree. There are a lot more options these days which I think makes it a bit more confusing.

IMO - it makes more sense to get a deeper understanding of how computing and networking works and then look at the broader applications of the technology. But that said - your choice of degree should largely depend on what you enjoy about information and computing and how technically in depth you want to get.

yoba222

Unless your top school is MIT, Stanford, or someplace similar I would aim to get that degree at the lowest price possible. Any regionally accredited school offering a MIS/CIS degree would work. Avoid double/triple majors--not worth the ROI.

powerfool

Mine has served me very well. By the time I was 50% through my undergrad, I was making the average annual salary for a family in my state. I also had a few years of experience and major industry recognized certifications. Now, ten years after graduating from the undergrad program and subsequently completing a masters degree, I am 4x the average annual salary for a family in my state.

There will be people that say you must have a CS degree... it is almost completely unnecessary. Sure, it would also work, but there are relatively few companies (if any) that would consider it a show stopper. If you are concerned about it, just make sure that you pack in some additional math and science into your degree (I didn't require Calculus for my program, but I did it anyhow). Also, you can likely take CS courses for electives if your university offers them. If so, maybe look at a double-major or minor. I think having the business courses have a distinct advantage because IT has long had the stigma of not understanding "business."

On the other hand, you could do a CS program and then do an MBA. There are multiple paths.

So many jobs are fine with any undergrad program completion plus certifications and/or experience, so by having an IT-related degree you are in a better position.

kurosaki00

Got a BS in CS and even though it has not directly landed me any roles (as I switched to "networks"). It has certainly helped me a lot. I've worked as QC for APIs and I've worked closely to Dev teams and I got to say my CS background has given me the tools to understand how a lot of the things in the information technology world work.

For me a science degree is always a + if you have the correct mindset.

DatabaseHead

kurosaki00 wrote: »

Got a BS in CS and even though it has not directly landed me any roles (as I switched to "networks"). It has certainly helped me a lot. I've worked as QC for APIs and I've worked closely to Dev teams and I got to say my CS background has given me the tools to understand how a lot of the things in the information technology world work.

For me a science degree is always a + if you have the correct mindset.

Always respected you for getting the CS degree, instead of taking the easy way out. You'll be a better for it. It isn't for everyone though. I've been reading that there are some strong correlations between the Wechslter IQ test and CS graduation rates. I think normally they project that an IQ score of 125 or higher is sufficient enough to handle the abstract math and rigors of a CS degree program. If you are close to the median chances are you'll struggle and potentially flunk out if going for a CS degree.

I'd gladly trade in my bachelors and MBA for a solid CS degree from a top 25 program. But hey that's just me....

codebob

If you can afford it I believe that an MIS degree at at top school is worth it. I recently graduated with an MIS degree from a "top school" while doing everything wrong (lazy, low gpa, no side projects, no internship experience) and I still managed to land several interviews with some of the top companies (Although I failed almost all of them due to lack of technical knowledge). Around me my many of my friends who actually made use of their time at uni (doing tech research, side projects, internships, maintaining a decent gpa) all had no problems landing multiple offers from all the big tech companies.

tldr: If you actually use all the opportunities and work hard at a good college, it's all most a surefire ticket to a top tech company job in 4 years. If you can afford it that is.

mzx380

yoba222 wrote: »

Unless your top school is MIT, Stanford, or someplace similar I would aim to get that degree at the lowest price possible. Any regionally accredited school offering a MIS/CIS degree would work. Avoid double/triple majors--not worth the ROI.

100% agree with this post

cwelber

I had decades of experience and then hit the Infosec field about 10 years ago. Then.. I got my CISSP and Cybersecurity Masters (4.0 GPA), so I think it depends on the field you're in. The Cyber masters is such a new discipline in security I think having it plus the CISSP makes a huge difference in my field. (I could easily get $50,000 more then I'm making right now, but I'm OK where I am at the moment) In straight up operations MS certifications might matter more then a degree. The answer to your question is it depends. Some shops expect you should at least have a college degree, but some guys get around this by having a lot of corporate experience.

The bottom line is you have to know where you're going in your career and then you can plan backwards.

escane99

Sorry for the late reply
well the school i got into costs around 10k dollars - which i think is ok enough
I don't live in the US and I don't think I can afford going to school there without a scholarship ahaha

escane99

powerfool wrote: »

Mine has served me very well. By the time I was 50% through my undergrad, I was making the average annual salary for a family in my state. I also had a few years of experience and major industry recognized certifications. Now, ten years after graduating from the undergrad program and subsequently completing a masters degree, I am 4x the average annual salary for a family in my state.

Just wanted to ask, how on earth did you earn the average annual salary halfway through undergrad? That's pretty neat

escane99

yoba222 wrote: »

Unless your top school is MIT, Stanford, or someplace similar I would aim to get that degree at the lowest price possible. Any regionally accredited school offering a MIS/CIS degree would work. Avoid double/triple majors--not worth the ROI.

Why should I avoid double or triple majors?

escane99

paul78 wrote: »

It's great that you are thinking of it now. I never completed my degree so take my anonymous opinion for what it's worth My comments assume you are US based and planning attend a US-based institution and work in the US.

I personally would always advocate going for a computer science, software engineering, or computer engineering degree. There are a lot more options these days which I think makes it a bit more confusing.

IMO - it makes more sense to get a deeper understanding of how computing and networking works and then look at the broader applications of the technology. But that said - your choice of degree should largely depend on what you enjoy about information and computing and how technically in depth you want to get.

Sadly, I do not live in the US or anywhere near that huhu but the college I did get in to is considered one of the best in my country. I've been planning, though, to go to the US to pursue my work in the future when I've had enough experience - or do I need to get all my certifications from the US for it to be valid?

jdancer

escane99 wrote: »

Why should I avoid double or triple majors?

Get another party to pay for your additional learning, i.e., your employer. You'll want to get your degree in the least amount of time. I got mine in 3 years by going to summer school.