What to major in!?!?!

pLuhhmm

Theres a few majors Ive been looking into when I transfer and from what ive see theres; Business IT, IT, Computer Science and i forget a few others. Im thinking of BIT because it would seem to be like majoring in IT and minoring in Buisness which I wanna do. But what do you guys think. I.E. college grads who went for IT.

royal

After being in the field I kind of regret getting an IT degree; Networking and Communications Management. Most IT people I see got degrees in stuff other than IT such as Economics, Business, Etc... In IT, it seems that all that is really need is to just have the piece of paper (diploma) and you're set. Makes me wish I went full into a business degree or economics (since I enjoy both).

astorrs

+1 to business degrees.

KGhaleon

My friend was undecided with his career...so he got:
Masters in computer science
Bachelors in Psychology
Now he's doing Business.

I swear, he's been in college longer than any doctor.

BradleyHU

well it depends on what you want to do for a career. I mean, obviously, you can still break into IT having a degree outside of CIS/CSC but usually they are like Help Desk/Desktop/Technical Support, Business Analyst, QA Analyst...if you wanna do Software Engineering, or Systems/Network Engineering, IT Architure, then an CIS/CSC degree would suit you better...IMO

rfult001

It depends on what you want to do and where you are going to school.

Look at the curriculum for the program. Does it align with you would like to be doing in the future? See any classes you like? Your IT program might concentrate on open source technology and programming. You might find yourself in a program that concentrates on Databases and data mining.

MIS (Business IT?) might be what you are looking for (web design, management, etc.)
Information Technology is generally a well rounded intro into infrastructure and support.
Computer Science is usually a lot of programming.
Computer Engineering is hardware development (LOTS of math).
Maybe you have a Telecommunications program? That will deal with networking and communication infrastructure.

Explore your options.

pLuhhmm

rfult001 wrote:

It depends on what you want to do and where you are going to school.

Look at the curriculum for the program. Does it align with you would like to be doing in the future? See any classes you like? Your IT program might concentrate on open source technology and programming. You might find yourself in a program that concentrates on Databases and data mining.

MIS (Business IT?) might be what you are looking for (web design, management, etc.)
Information Technology is generally a well rounded intro into infrastructure and support.
Computer Science is usually a lot of programming.
Computer Engineering is hardware development (LOTS of math).
Maybe you have a Telecommunications program? That will deal with networking and communication infrastructure.

Explore your options.

Well screw Computer Science(dont program) and Screw Computer Engineering(suck/hate math.

Kaminsky

In my experience, unless you get headhunted due to your brilliant IT scores, most actual "IT" type degrees count for squat when you start working. Just another fresh faced schoolie !

There are some wicked degrees I have heard about these days (bearing in mind I left uni over 15 years ago) like computer forensics and stuff like that... highly specific courses rather than the general CS/programming/electronics type degrees will always do well.

You would be far better off with business, economics, law. To be a techie, techie again I wouldn't suggest CS but rather Physics/Engineering.

The actual techie skills are being gained as certifications along side the degrees so students these days are coming out with both. (sneaky little buggers) Certs and CS make you a bit of a one trick pony wheras the business degree gives you much more flexibility within the IT field. Certainly later on when you start climbing up the ladder.

CS 15 years ago was padded out with maths, maths and more maths. I drew the line at having to prove that 1 + 1 = 2 !!!! (seriously) I asked the professor "as I am a CS student and you a professor of Mathematics, why can't I just take your word for it ?" He didn't see the humour in my logic AT ALL !

rfult001

pLuhhmm wrote:

Well screw Computer Science(dont program) and Screw Computer Engineering(suck/hate math.

Don't rule them out yet. Most computer-related programs (and fields) require a good amount of programming and, believe it or not, math.

In most programs you will likely be taking Discrete Math and learning AT LEAST one programming language. This is the reason we go to college in the first place is to learn these things.

In the end: "Don't knock it until you try it."

undomiel

I'd recommend learning a little programming at least. It will do wonders for your scripting abilities.

Talic

I also thought about getting a business degree rather then IT. Especially since IT classes are pretty scarce in my school due to low enrollment. The only thing I noticed is taking certification classes is they can help on things you might not 100% understand if you were just reading a book or maybe a CBT. You may be able to learn it via experience but I think its still good to learn the framework first rather then bits and pieces.

Teachers are good at what they are supposed to do in classes, answering questions. Sure you can google stuff up but sometimes it isn't the same.

famosbrown

I chose MIS as my degree because it was literally 50% business and 50% computer science. When I applied for jobs that said a computer related degree required, I was good. When I applied for jobs other than I.T. or I.T. management that said a Business degree was required, I was still good.

If you want to stick in this side of I.T. (networking, Microsoft, Cisco), then I would get a degree like that due to the competition. You are competing against certifications, those who have been doing it for a long time, those without degrees that goes to an all-tech school, etc. Competition is crazy due to the ease of entry into the qualification pool and massive pickings.

If you want to program or software engineer, a computer science degree would be better. There aren't many non-degreed candidates in this side of I.T., nor there many vendor certifications available for it. And it's what you learn much of in traditional college.

If you want to design hardware or mess with robotics or something, go Computer Engineering.

Many people go to school and choose any I.T. degree because they like computes or enjoy I.T. period. I was the same way. When I graduated, I used what I learned in college in my first programmer job, but didn't like it. I then made the switch to the networking, Microsoft, Cisco side of I.T. and had to get certifications and take a significant pay cut at first to work my way back up. I'm not using the CS side of my degree right now, but it has helped me get the job I have now since it's a computer related degree that the Federal Government wanted, but I've had the opportunity to use the Business side a lot through school (MBA) and work when I was supervising or currently leading projects or missions.

Choose the degree that will benefit you in the long run and not just short term. Choose the field of I.T. you want to go into and possibly find professionals in that industry and ask them there experience and what it took. some will have it harder than others, but at least you will know what the job and sometime pay will entail.

brad-

famosbrown wrote:

I chose MIS as my degree because it was literally 50% business and 50% computer science. When I applied for jobs that said a computer related degree required, I was good. When I applied for jobs other than I.T. or I.T. management that said a Business degree was required, I was still good.

Thats the ticket

I did CIS, and it really has been no better in the real world than anything else for me.

jamesp1983

KGhaleon wrote:

My friend was undecided with his career...so he got:
Masters in computer science
Bachelors in Psychology
Now he's doing Business.

I swear, he's been in college longer than any doctor.

wow, he must be very intelligent.

undomiel

jimmypizzle83 wrote:

KGhaleon wrote:

My friend was undecided with his career...so he got:
Masters in computer science
Bachelors in Psychology
Now he's doing Business.

I swear, he's been in college longer than any doctor.

wow, he must be very intelligent.

Not necessarily, he could be very hard working.

(Not intending to knock your friend in any way shape or form here by the way KGhaleon, just trying to broaden perceptions.)

BeaverC32

pLuhhmm wrote:

rfult001 wrote:

Well screw Computer Science(dont program) and Screw Computer Engineering(suck/hate math.

Exactly how do you suck math? I imagine some type of straw is used???

Anyway, my computer science degree was much more than just programming. It included project management, networking, java programming, circuit design, unix fundamentals/scripting, infrastructure design, etc. It exposed me to a large number of areas of IT, which was great because I wasn't sure what I was interested in before going to school.

I understand that it is common to be employed in IT with a degree in something else, but if you know beforehand that your end goal is to work in IT, why not get a degree related to the field that interests you? I would also think that it would be easier to break into the IT field with a related degree; if you had an unrelated degree I would imagine it would be more difficult.

Plus internship opportunities should be plentiful while pursuing an IT-related degree; if you pursue a degree in business, good luck convincing a company to intern you for an IT position

shednik

really it all depends on what you want to do...CS,CE are great degrees if thats what you want to do, I have a BS in ISM. I think it has done me well with the aspect of working with the technology and people, I was pushed to do a lot of communications intensified course ie public speaking, writing, and research. It had helped me immensely in the work place and now I'm working on getting an MS in a more technical nature and then later i'll go back again for my MBA as well. Just plan out what you want to do first then go forward from that!!