I changed my major to MIS and I was wondering if anyone here has a degree in that subject and would be able to chat with me about it?

Thanks
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no
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Nice review. :-)
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I don't have a BS in MIS, but I have an AS in Computer Programming (and a BA in English Lit), and worked in the field for thirty years...started as a COBOL Programmer, worked my way up to Systems/Business Analyst, and around 2000 switched to Network Analyst/Engineer...I hold several certs, Microsoft and Cisco, A+, Network+, MCP, MCSE, MCDBA, CCNA...what would you like to discuss?
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I was hoping to find out what people do with it in the field. I've read 20 or 30 "canned" descriptions from different campuses across the nation, but I don't know anyone with the actual degree to find out what day to day life is like in that job.
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You probably need to be more specific. Your question is akin to asking what day to day life is like in the field of medicine or law. It depends on what you want to do.
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Too bad nobody ever told u that..... And meant it,
:-)
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True. I used to work very closely with our director
Of MIS, while he himself was a programmer thats not what his job was about. Literally he managed our information systems, from worki g with end users to determine what legal database software we used, to a host of other things

Likewise, my brother who moved to the caribbean was the director of HR MIS for Merck for over 10 years. Again, day to day he dealt with what hr software was used to track emplyee performance, and associated issues relating to how their information systems were managed
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True... I have a degree in Biology, Minor in Chemistry and IS. I have been working in IT for over 10 years and there is always something different. I used to manage a help desk and now manage networks as network administrator. Certs are good, but it doesn't always mean you know how to apply what you just passed on a computer in real life situations. My day yesterday consisted of making sure that all was well with our wireless infrastructure. Today, some nimrod pulled out a supervisor engine from the wrong switch and hosed it over. I am still at work running through all the connections making sure they are up before I can go home.
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Thanks for the info so far guys. :-)

As far as being specific, Peter. I asked a general question so I could see the BROAD PICTURE of what a number of MIS majors do.
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Been consulting in IT for 12 years and have/had Microsoft Certs.

If were to go into MIS, I would study SAP, without question.
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What is SAP?
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It's a common business management/operations/financial software. Oracle is a common and very similar product.

(All: how would I learn SAP? I'm not a computer person, but my employer uses Oracle instead of SAP, and I figure it'd look good on a resume to have experience with both.)
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SAP is the top job skill when you sort IT jobs on Monster or Dice from highest paying to lowest paying. You can get a 4 year degree in it and be making $150 an hour in no time.

Follow my advice and in 5 years you can send me the Behikes.
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I know when I was job hunting the two areas that always had the big $$$$$ assigned to them were true database folks (SQL, Oracle, SAP, etc) The ability to take raw data and make information out of it. The second was the true network security folks. Typically the upper level CISCO certs, firewalls, routing, etc. I went too generic: server, software, printers, desktop, etc as everyone needs these skills but more common and pay much less.
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If that sort of thing matters to you that is.

I started MIS and realized it wasn't what I wanted to do. Went Engineering instead.

Just food for thought. Make sure it's what you want to do with your life.
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Pretty much exactly me to a tee as well (except my minors are Biochemistry and Military History). From my experience certs are basically useless and not particularly well regarded by most in the industry. Personal knowledge and learning is FAR more valuable both to you as an individual and to your organization. It may have changed, but it was FAR too easy to just memorize brain dumps and come out with an MSCE without actually knowing anything. I remember a buddy back in the day who was a FoxPro dba (that's dating myself, I know) who scored an overall average of 95% on all the tests for his NT4 MSCE+I designation. When he finished he had never once used NT4 Workstation or Server let alone install, configure or troubleshoot a network.

In my experience IT is alot like any other job, it has both positives and negatives and what you get out of it on the whole is what you put in. However it does have a wide variety so the best advice I can give is it figure out what kind of work environment you prefer so you can focus on that. If you business orientated application support and/or technical archicture are good places to look. If you like detailing with people more desktop/client orientated support is good. If you don't like dealing with people then server admin and networking is a good place to go. Unfortunately for almost all you have to put in your time on the low rungs (like every job) and that's almost always desktop/help desk.

If possible avoid falling into a call centre. Those jobs often require very little direct technical support or interaction which makes it hard to gain the experience needed to move into whatever your preferred role would be. As we at my office say, call centres are where IT people go to die. That's a generalization of course, but call centres do have a tendency to limit your skill set and if you say there too long it's almost impossible to find something else.
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Another reason to learn SAP is that you'll be making a real living right out the door and you can get a job very easily all over the world.

Security is good, but is really dependent on a work history as well as cert's. Darrell doesn't have the experience and it's going to take long time to build.

IT jobs aren't paying like they use to and many skill sets are being outsourced over seas or the need for support staff has diminished. SAP is unlikely to be outsourced due to the nature of the data and the business units working closely with the SAP developers.
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Darrell, my wife has an MIS and is a retired System Administrator.

I was the plant SAP Administrator and user trainer for the company I retired from.

Let me know if there's any specific questions we might be able to help with.

Bill
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Let me start by saying I have no degree. I have been working in IT for 10-15 years depending on your definition. What Volt said is very true. You can be either a network architect or a database administrator (DBA) without a degree. These are both very well paying jobs. In my part of the country, if you're good, you can make six figures at either position. If you get the proper certifications a degree is not necessary in these two fields. I am a Windows Server Administrator. I also adminster our company's SAN, Firewalls, Network Switches, Virtual environment (VMware), and more. This is mostly because of the size of the company I work for. The larger, the more pigeon-holed you get. The smaller, the more "hats" you get to wear regardless of whether you are a tech (engineer) or a manager.

That said, an MIS degree may get your foot in the door as a tech or programmer. A degree with certifications will almost always get you an interview. As a tech or a programmer with a degree it is possible to get promoted to a management position. Since I have no degree it is difficult for me to make that transition. I can however get more advanced certifications along with my experience and move into a better paying role.

I hope this helps.
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