info on IT

hello all - i am new to the board. i found this website somehow just looking around for some information on information technology. i worked for a computer repair place in my hometown for about 5 years before deciding to go back to school since i had found what i wanted to major in. i am in the Information Technology curriculum and would actually like to go as far as i can in school (graduate - masters phd, whatever) but once i get my bachelors i would like to work a few years before doing that maybe. what i eventually would want to do is become an IT director at a company, setup and oversee the network, possibly own my own computer repair business one day - things like that. as of this point i do not have any certifications but am looking into it. what certifications should i go for first - keep in mind i still have about 2 and a half years of school left - i have some exp being that i worked, but not feel comfotable jumping right into a cert exam. just any advice is appreciated. the school i am at has Comp Science, IT and MIS as majors but i dont want to write programs all day and i dont want the business degree of MIS so i figured IT was best suited for me but i just would like to know what is in store for my future - if i could do what i want to do with the degree..as well as getting the certs i would need.

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Comments

TURTLEGIRL

Welcome to the forum and you've come to the right place. It's a friendly and busy forum that encourages IT qualifications and valuable information regarding all aspects of Information Technology.

Good luck and welcome.

janmike

cmb would like to

setup and oversee the network

First thing, I think you should work toward client-server-domain admin like MCSA with a Security specialty, then start on some Cisco for routing that network. Later you can look at MCSE, because you'll need some expertise in system design. You can check out the MCSA here,

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcsa/security/windowsserver2003.asp

But, you need to finish your degree most of all. That will get you hired. The certs will "ice the cake".

Sounds like you have lots of enthusiasm. IT takes that, for sure.
Welcome to the forums and good luck for the future!

Havoc

Welcome to techexams, you can get help on just about anything here.

Because you are still in school take the time and find out if there are any discounts that can be given for cert exams. If you check the vendors for the requirements and the price of their exams it can be very costly to get certified

Start looking now and by the time that you are ready to enter the industry you will have a degree and a few certs, That will make your resume stand out.

cmb

okay - i talked to one of my advisors the other day and told him what i wanted to do eventually. we both agreed that Computer Science is not an option. It was down to IT and MIS. Both are broad majors and of course you can have an emphasis. Anyway, he suggested IT because MIS is too business related for what I want to do, but then again, it isnt. I want to be hand-on to a certain extent, but I dont wanna end up doing all the leg work and not getting anything from it. As said in my first post, i would like to setup a network at a business and oversee that network for that business - have people work for/under me but i also know what and how to do the job as well -- thats very simply put. maybe one day (way down the future, i know, im patient) become a CIO or something of that nature - now, would IT or MIS be better fit for that?
btw, at this point, all my classes would go for either, i am at the point where i break off now and need to know for sure which one is better suited for me.

any opinions?

keatron

If you plan to be a CIO, then MIS (at least at most colleges) would fall closer to that role. I was a CIO for a while, went to all the Gartner group and Metagroup conferences every year. The average CIO does almost nothing technical from day to day. Especially as of late. The CIO is becoming more of a true "business strategist" and actually being taken seriously while "sitting" with other execs.

This article should give you some direction.

http://www.banktech.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=173402190

Although this is the banking industry, if you google around or read some of the CIO trade magazines, you'll hear a similar tune across the board.

Keep this in mind also. A security savy CIO is and will continue to be for a while in high demand.

cmb

the MIS degree at my school is in the School of Business and actually a business degree pretty much. i was in that curriculum before i thought about going IT - but i think i may stay with MIS - and maybe take a few IT courses as my technical electives and also get a few security certs - i am assuming that would help with what you said about security savvy CIO -- ??

keatron

To an extent. But make sure you try and get some experience with security technologies and methodologies to compliment the certifications (or vice versa). Even if it means doing it cheaply to get the experience.

cmb

well its been awhile since i have been on this site - actually had to redo my computer! anyway, i am thinking about MIS but it kinda scares me because it so business related and hardly any tech/it/computer realted classes ---- here is the list of classes for MIS and IT (minus the basics - those are nearly the same for both) - so would MIS be the best suited for someone who eventually wanted to be a CIO somewhere, but in the meantime, work his way up with setting up and overseeing networks, possibly a IT Director or something similar, having a computer repair business......which one cause i am still torn between the 2 -- there is a minor available in IT, but not in MIS unless you are majoring in something else in the business school

MIS

0 7 . BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION CORE(40.5 H R S)
0 1 ACC 200 (Intro Financial Acct)
0 2 BA 200 (Legal Environ Bus)
0 3 ECO 201 (Principles Eco I)
0 4 ECO 202 (Principles Eco II)
0 5 CSC 100 (Intro To Computing)
0 6 ACC 300 (Managerial Accounting)
0 7 BA 301 (Managerial Statistics)
0 8 BA 303 (Regression Analysis)
0 9 ECO 336 (Survey Int Economics)*
1 0 FIN 300 (Principles of Finance)
1 1 MGT 300 (Management for Orgs)
1 2 MGT 325 (Operations Management)
1 3 MIS 300 (Mgt Info Systems)*
1 4 MKT 300 (Principles of Marketing)
1 5 MGT 400 (Global Mgt Policy & Strategy)*
(Hours for MGT 400 under Written and
Oral Communication)
0 8 . MANAGEMENT INFO SYS EMPHASIS
(21 H R S)
0 1 MIS 310 (Bus Sys Des & Dev)
0 2 MIS 315 (Obj Orient Prog)
0 3 MIS 320 (E-Bus App Stgs)
0 4 MIS 401 (Database Management Systems)
0 5 MIS 406 (Data Com & Security)
0 6 MIS 408 (Open Source S/W)
0 7 MIS 412 (Project Life Cycle Mgt)
0 9 . DIRECTED ELECTIVE: (3 HRS)
01 3-HOUR APPROVED PROGRAMMING
C O U R S E
10. OPTIONAL NON-COB MINOR
(MINIMUM OF 18 HRS)
1 1 . ELECTIVES
0 1 SELECT ANY COURSES NECESSARY
TO FULFILL THE MINIMUM NUMBER
OF HOURS NEEDED TO GRADUATE.
NONBUSINESS COURSES
R E C O M M E N D E D .

IT

0.6 MAJOR CORE (44-46 HRS)
0 1 CSC 101, CSC 101L OR CSS 333
0 2 CSC 102 OR CSS 334
0 3 CSS 211 (Statistical Meth I)
0 4 CSC 300
0 5 CSC 309 OR PHI 300
0 6 CSS 331 (Visual Basic)
0 7 MGT 300 OR MIS 300 OR MKT 300
0 8 ITC 100, ITC 101
0 9 ITC 371/L (Personal Computer App)
1 0 ITC 390 (Computer Ntwrk Fundament)
1 1 ITC 400* (Senior Project I)
1 2 ITC 401* (Senior Project II)
1 3 ITC 471/L (Small Computer Systems)
1 4 ITC 483 (Windows Networking)
*Designates Senior Capstone
0 7 EMPHASIS AREA REQUIREMENTS
(21 HRS)
0 1 Complete 21 hours of 300/400-level
coursework in an approved course
s e q u e n c e .
0 8 . OTHER REQUIRED COURSES (25 HRS)
0 1 Approved Technical Electives (25 hours)

they also have a MIS: financial emphasis degree also

cmb

the "emphasis area" part and the "other required courses" part of the IT is whichever classes you want to take pertaining to your emphasis -- there is alot of networking classes and things like that so that is why they do not specify on this sheet