Academic Experiences In Computer Information Systems: Associate Vs. Graduate Education Jobs in Heart's Content, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Create alert for “Academic Experiences in Computer Information Systems: Associate vs. Graduate Education”
Heart's Content, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
analyst, computer
analyst, computer
Academic Experiences in Computer Information Systems: Associate vs. Graduate Education
About the role
I had the chance to catch up with my brother-in-law over the weekend, and cross-compare notes about our educational paths. I am finishing my Masters in Information Systems (MSIS), and he is half of the way through his Associates in Computer IS at Portland Community College in Oregon. I am attending Drexel via online courses, and he is attending a hybrid online/in-class program at his local community college.I felt that there was an opportunity to give a perspective about IT programs, especially CIS, at the undergrad and graduate levels – so I interviewed him and have added relevant material from my experience at Drexel. I hope that it is useful, and perhaps can help guide readers in case they decide to embark into the IT realm.
Regarding the reasoning that the two of us returned to school as non-traditional (older) students:
Brother-in-law: “I originally started taking classes part-time in the fall of 2010. In January, 2011, I was let go from my job and school seemed like the most best option, especially considering the state of the economy. Fortunately, the employment dept. has an option for education that allows a person to go to school while collecting unemployment benefits, so long as they are in an approved program and you maintain a certain GPA.”
Personally, I knew that I wanted to attend graduate school, and went into my undergrad with this intent. At the same time, the fact that he was eligible for retraining is a definite boon – since he is capable, I think that it is making the best of what could have been a problematic experience.
Advertisement
Why Major In Computer Information Systems (CIS)
Him: “Computer Information Systems was actually my 3rd choice after Medical Lab Tech and Electronic Engineering Tech. The MLT program was already full, and EET didn’t seem to be as lucrative as I would prefer. CIS is flexible enough that I can tailor my classes to focus on a particular part of CIS, in my case databases.”
Myself: Information Systems was almost an afterthought – I decided that I wanted to continue pursuing my education. Really, I should have approached things from an even longer-term viewpoint and began my PhD program. This is ultimately where I see myself heading. As far as career options, I looked around at what my friends were doing, and realized that 1. computers and technology had the growth, and 2. I really like technology and development.
Time In The Classroom And Stress Management
Him: “Each week I spend approximately 7 hours in the classroom, plus 20 or more working from home. Ultimately, I am doing homework 7 days a week. I typically try to take regular breaks throughout the day. This may include reading fiction, video games, going for a walk.”
From my perspective: I am doing work 7 days a week, every day of the week. Typically work involves 1-2 hours a day from Monday-Thursday, 2-4 hours on Friday, and typically 12-16 hours spread out over the weekend. This can go up when I am working on a research project – these numbers are probably the low end of my time commitment. Since I work a 40-hour, full-time job, my school/research/work week is probably 80 hours.
Advertisement
You can really see the difference in time commitments between the Associates and Masters-level academic work. Beyond that, the actual technology requirements tend to be a little different. Two-year programs develop skill sets, and eventually move into requirements analysis, system design and architecture, and software engineering. Business methods and management is part of the MSIS, but typical PhD programs are much more involved with research and development (the applied vs. theoretical debate that is shown in the Masters vs. PhD coursework).
Related articles
Why information systems are so essential in running and managing business today (wiki.answers.com) Drexel launches research center with Shanghai-based institute (medcitynews.com) For Drexel University Online, Veterans Are A Top Priority: Top-Ranked University Helps To Serve Those Who Serve Our Country (prweb.com) Visualizing World Bank Indicators: Research Poster (velluminformation.com) Transitioning Careers into the Technical Realm (velluminformation.com)
Advertisement
Share on X (Opens in new window) X Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email Print (Opens in new window) Print Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
Like Loading...
Related
Not the right fit? Search for Academic Experiences in Computer Information Systems: Associate vs. Graduate Education jobs in Heart's Content, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
About Vellum Information
Vellum Information is a research and development platform focused around information visualization, web and data mining and analysis, healthcare and global health technology and data utilization.
We have a firm foot in open-source technology and public datasets, and believe that the best solutions are found in the root. It is our job to unearth these depths and make your answers accessible.
Computer science is really an art. They do not teach that in school, but the truth of it is that computers have a common language, and there are infinite dialects of it spoken around the world.
Current projects include:
Heath information technology and public health matters (and how the two meet).
Information visualization and beautiful data. This is a mantra for 2011: Make it simple, make it beautiful. Data can and should be straighforward and appealing. The era of static tables and charts is past.
Database development, web and application deployment and design - expert system design, case-based reasoning systems, knowledge management, and AI applications.
A keen interest in the Cloud and how it can be utilized to deploy an application across endless instances, which ties firmly into the rest of our projects.
Data/web mining and analysis, text mining, and content analysis. Semantic content and ontology creation.
Publishing several reports, as well as working on some academic presentations and publications. Look for us on Amazon and Google Books.