[TriLUG] MIS degrees (was Re: OT: Certifications - Education)

[Shane O'Donnell]

OK, since I'm feeling mouthy today...

I think the MIS degree, if properly executed, is arguably the single
most valuable degree someone can have today.  Proper execution would
include:

 - Technical education at a "deep enough" level.  Folks should have a
proper grounding in the technology and more importantly, in the
business aspects/ramifications thereof.
 - Business education at a "how it works" level.  Unfortunately, this
is about where most undergraduate business programs leave off.  Would
think you wouldn't need both Macro-economics and Micro-economics or
advanced accounting, but certainly an intro to both fields would be
critical.  As would statistics...

In response to the previous posters in this thread:  show me a college
major and I'll show you an idiot that graduated with a degree in it. 
I can't tell you how much respect I lost for the medical profession
when some of the morons I did my undergrad with turned up in the
alumni newsletter with their M.D., but I digress.

Finding people that can bridge the gap between technology and business
is downright hard these days.  Sure, there are plenty on both sides
that THINK they can, but that's another story altogether.

I've been frustrated for a long time with "CTO" roles at companies. 
While they should be filled by folks who can understand and
communicate the impacts of various technologies on the core business,
whether on the internal side or the customer-facing side, they seem to
be, as often or not, filled by the "alpha geek" in the organization as
more of a promotional tribute than as a critical addition to the
leadership team.  These folks should also have a strategic view of the
business and the marketplace--many of the ones I've known have never
spoken to a customer (or only rarely, if they've been paraded in front
of them to secure a deal).

Ultimately, this role should be filled by someone with a deep
understanding of both sides of the organization and should be able to
effectively communicate about both topics to folks inside and outside
of the organization.  Finding someone to do this easy--finding someone
to do it well is not.

Arguably, most true CS and/or EE programs spend far too much time
talking about the "science" or "engineering" pieces for the taste of
most of today's businesses.  As such, most folks that come out of
these programs are well suited for jobs that most never pursue.  And
many of us fall into the easy trap of assuming that the business side
is the "easy part".  I don't know too many companies that failed
because their technical people weren't smart enough.  On the other
hand, most of us have likely worked at companies where the
business-side didn't execute to perfection and folks paid the price
through either lay-offs or shut-downs.

So, in closing, all I have to say is:  "It's not the degree.  It's the
idiot with the degree."

Your idiot with a degree (but not in MIS, alas),

Shane O.

On 8/29/05, William Sutton <william at trilug.org> wrote:
> Yeah....I knew a fella with an MIS degree from Auburn who referred to
> "JavaScript" as "Java."  I routinely wanted to strangle him for saying it.
> 
> In my opinion, MIS is a business management degree with enough computer
> training to make someone dangerous to their company.  Either then need a
> proper management training program (is their such a thing?) or a proper
> computer science/engineering/systems degree.
> 
> the amount of training/experience someone has in a subject is (in my
> opinion) inversely proportional to their danger when attempting to
> practice in that subject.  for example, half educated => twice the danger.
> 
> --
> William Sutton
> 
> 
> On Mon, 29 Aug 2005, Lance Brown wrote:
> 
> >
> >
> > Mark Freeze wrote:
> > > One of the saddest things I have ever witnessed was a couple of years
> > > ago when I was running a company in Alabama.  We had a temporary
> > > receptionist and I had to show her how to start and use Excel. All she
> > > really needed to to was data entry several sheets and then total a
> > > couple of columns, but, she had no clue how to get started.  The sad
> > > part is that she was working at the temporary service because she had
> > > just graduated from Auburn with a 4-year degree in MIS and was looking
> > > for what she called 'a computer job.'
> >
> > Oh great Ghu...  Whoever came up with MIS as a 4-year degree should be
> > taken out back, pummeled with a shovel about the head and shoulders,
> > shot with double-ought rocksalt, and then buried alive in ants.
> >
> > My experiences with folks holding MIS degrees range from mildly annoying
> > to outright terrifying, and experiences with students in MIS programs
> > have been blood curdling.
> >
> > --[Lance]
> >
> >
> --
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-- 
Shane O.
========
Shane O'Donnell
shaneodonnell at gmail.com
====================