Opinions on college major

[Casey B]

I'm at the point now where I have to make a final decision on my actual major in college. So far I've been taking courses to allow me to choose from 3 different majors; Computer Studies, Information Systems Management, and Computer Information Technology.



Computer Studies seems to be broad for me but this would be the easiest route. IS Management won't be too difficult but is an option from where I am at now. I would have to take a few courses that I'm not interested in.



Computer IT will require me to take at least 2 courses at a local/different college and have the credits transferred. This will cause me more application fees, enrollment hassles, etc... This field seems to be the most interesting. I've taken a lot of IT courses that can just be used in a Computer Studies degree.



Any advice from anyone in these fields? I think the discipline from obtaining a Bachelors degree is a bonus in any field, no matter what the job. I have to make a declaration that I've avoided up until now:unsure:.

 

[Gavin Allan]

What do you want to do? Which area appeals most to you?



The degree subject area isn't as important as the degree itself.



Do the work you love, and the success and money will follow.

 

[Dale Carlson]

I have a bachelor's in Computer Science, and work in IT. You didn't really explain what each path actually entails, but really, the important thing is to do what you feel best about. Even if the money you have to spend is important now, in the long run, you'll wish you'd spent it. My CS degree was really general in nature, but seemed to weigh in more heavily with programming. Ick.



I learned enough of programming to know it wasn't for me - at least full time. College did provide me with an ever narrowing focus on whatever it is I will stay with. Let me explain. Before I started, I had a major in Management and decided to switch because I'd always had an interest in computers and high technology. About halfway through my CS classes, I knew I didn't want to do programming as a career. About three-quarters of the way through, I was thinking about database management or network/systems administration. By graduation, I had decided on network/systems administration, which is really two different, but related and interlocking paths. Three years after graduation, I still haven't decided on which, so I'm back in school taking classes in both. My current job is as a Microsoft Exchange & Microsoft system administrator on a college campus, and I love it, but I'm never standing still. You can't afford to in this field.



Speaking of jobs, if you're serious about working in the field, get experience - any experience, but jobs that give you work beyond the basic PC (hardware or software) will really broaden your horizons. Anything in an enterprise (campus or corporate) is golden. Be prepared to take a low-paying entry-level job at first - but do it well and with a good attitude. It'll pay off.



Lastly, and I see this all of the time in the classes I'm in now, don't treat your classes like you're still back in high-school. College courses are meant to prepare you for a job. The attitude difference between the post-high-schoolers and the people enhancing their job skills (like me) in my classes is huge. Eventually, somebody in a job interview (the technical portion) is going to ask you a question on something that you actually covered in class. Will you be able to answer it? If there's a course that prepares you for a certification, prepare for and take the cert while the course materials are still fresh in your mind (academic classes are only good for up to about 70% of all the material you'll need to know on the cert test). And, oh yeah, stay away from the online courses for the stuff that is important to you. They're crap. OK, maybe not crap, but I've done both, and the online stuff just doesn't provide you with the learning experience that being in class with a real live instructor with real live equipment/software does.

 

[Casey B]

kefguy-Thanks for the details. Honestly I don't think I want to be in any field that puts me at a desk or confined in an office. I'm interested in the infrastructure and hardware portion of networks. I'm definitely not going to program. I got involved in computers when I got fed up with proprietary pc's and started building my own back in the 90's.



The IT courses that are offered are Microsoft based for the most part. I agree that online is not the best way to learn but that is my option right now. When we were overseas I could take a lot of the classes face to face, here it is different. The college is in Maryland and I am in GA. I applied and got accepted at a local university but they were only going to accept 25 credits out of 71. I decided I would finish the bachelors with my current institution and possibly go to graduate school some where else.

 

[Dale Carlson]

C,



Networking's a good choice. My opinion is that a post-graduate degree is fine if you think you're going to teach, but otherwise you'd be better off going to work, gaining the experience, and maybe taking more networking classes at a local two-year school. The (two-year) technical college I work at is partnered with Cisco, and the networking classes we have there are pretty damn good. Not saying everybody's experience will be the same, but the two-year schools are in the business of producing workers, not necessarily future students.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

C, why not Computer Science or Computer Engineering?



Just wondering?

 

[Casey B]

I'm definitely not a programmer or want to be. The course load for computer science has a lot to do with programming. I took a couple of classes in C++ for my requirements and that was enough.



I think I would like to teach. I also understand that computer technology will never stop changing.



I'm the type to try and learn everything I'm tasked with. If my dryer breaks, I'll tear it apart and fix it. If I need a fence, I'll buy the supplies and put one up. I've always said if man made it man can fix it. It's very hard for me to think about doing one job for the rest of my career. I'm getting a degree related to computers but honestly, I don't know what I want to be.



BTW I'm minoring in criminal justice.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

C, Computer Science can be more than programming, but you are right, if you don't like programming then CS probably isn't for you. I assume you are turned off by the theoretical aspect of Computer Engineering as well?



I majored in Computer Engineering Technology...less theory, more hands on, actually a dual major of Comp Sci and Electrical Engineering Technology. It was a 4 year program and I got a BS. I program a lot, manage a lot, do a LOT of engineering (research, writing papers, etc). I could have gone either hardware or software after leaving school.



TJR

 

[Dre L]

Go for the IS management track, finish up with an MBA to set your career path on a good foundation.



Tech is tech, you'll be able to do the technical portions of the job with some training / exposure in the field. Comp sci won't really help unless you plan to go into the hw / sw design area / chip building / programming.



Any network / systems administration you can pick up with some books and tech training on the job, or personal. As you get older, you'll tire of the tech bs, being on-call at all hours, making whoopie and having the pager ruin the moment, and dealing with management. The only way out will be to move into management, where at least you'll have earned the tech knowledge to make competant decisions. At that point, you'll need the educational background to take over a leadership position, or move into one at another company.



The tech skills for IT are acquired more than learned, as is the finesse and decision making necessary. Management is universal, and you can even move into other fields as a manager if you tire of IT, once you have the mgt credentials, and some experience leading teams.