A degree in Computer Science or CIS(Computer Information Systems)?

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Okay here is the deal NT. I recently graduated from college with a B.A. in Psychology. Im struggling to find a job right now and im no longer interested in pursuing a career in Psychology. I recently have been thinking of going back to school and getting a B.B.A in CIS or a B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Accounting (trying to cover all bases).

The thing is though i checked the classes i need for both majors and i have to take alot of extra classes for CIS in comparison to Computer Science but i really want a degree from the college of business here at Georgia State. They kept all of my core classes that i took while getting my first Bachelors so the only classes i need to take are the main Computer Science courses if i choose that one(but i have to take higher level math and physics courses) but with CIS i have to take extra business classes that seem to be mandatory for all business majors which would have me in school longer than i wanted.

I need some guidance here NT, i really had my mind set on going back but i dont know what to do.

I know alot of people are gonna say you should go to grad school instead but honestly i am not at that level where i really want one. I would only end up getting it just to get it and feel like i wasted my time. I want to get my masters in something i know i want to do for the rest of my life and not to get a masters just to get a masters like i did with my B.A.
 
Take a IT certification course. You already have a degree.

MCITP or CCNA or Comptia certs would be a good start.
 
im currently majoring in Infosystems but just taking the GE's right now

luckyluchiano i think also did infosystems and has some good advice

go talk to a school advisor too
 
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Take a IT certification course. You already have a degree.

MCITP or CCNA or Comptia certs would be a good start.

I was thinking of going the IT certification route but i wanted some type of background in it first before i went into obtaining any. And money is REALLY tight right now
 
I was thinking of going the IT certification route but i wanted some type of background in it first before i went into obtaining any. And money is REALLY tight right now
You can self study for free. Just need to buy the study guide.
 
im currently majoring in Infosystems but just taking the GE's right now

luckyluchiano i think also did infosystems and has some good advice

go talk to a school advisor too

Im pretty sure they are gonna tell me to major in Computer Science since i already have so many credits invested into the College of Arts and Sciences here. My problem is that i am stubborn and want a business degree but im thinking that a minor in Accounting can supplement for this and i can go the CS route and still be satisfied. But im also thinking that my major and minor would end up needing the same classes if i majored in CIS so the amount of time it would take to obtain the degree would be evened out.
 
are you good at calc? if so have have you taken both calc 1 and 2? if not then just go with CIS since calc 1 and 2 are both prereqs for almost all CSc courses.
 
are you good at calc? if so have have you taken both calc 1 and 2? if not then just go with CIS since calc 1 and 2 are both prereqs for almost all CSc courses.

Yea i peeped that and I havent took any of them. It says i have to take both Calc 1 and 2 and 2 Physics courses. I got an A in Pre-cal but i took that freshman year back in 09. I took AP Calculus in high school but i honestly didnt pay attention back then. Thats one of the main reasons im having doubts about going the CS route. Ive always been good at math though but im not sure if i should risk it.
 
those calc and physics courses would prolly take as long as it would for the business courses in CIS
 
Your best bet is try and get into a computer focused Masters program instead of getting another Bachelors. I have a Management Information Systems degree, and to be honest I wish I got something in healthcare. I thought about going for a bachelors, but thought to myself Id just get some certs and Masters in Health Info Systems and move on.
 
Go the CIS route; CS is really intense and it will be a lot more work then you'd probably want because it's pretty tough.
 
I recently graduated with a computer science degree and I have no clue what I'm going to do. I really don't feel like I learned the necessary tools for a career in this field. It really has me stressed out. I'm not even sure how to get my foot in the door with no real experience and a lack of knowledge.
 
Being that CIS is a business related major, I can see why you would be held up. As a psych major, I doubt you have taken business core classes, and these tend to run from 6-8 classes all ranging from accounting, management, calculus, business law, etc. I'll say it'll take about a year just to knock off the business core classes, then come the CIS major classes. You're easily looking at 2+ years more of schooling, especially if seeking an accounting minor. It all depends on you. If this is what you really want, then time shouldn't be an issue. It's an interesting major and one with a growing market if looking to get into it upon graduation.
 
I recently graduated with a computer science degree and I have no clue what I'm going to do. I really don't feel like I learned the necessary tools for a career in this field. It really has me stressed out. I'm not even sure how to get my foot in the door with no real experience and a lack of knowledge.

thats how i felt after getting this Psyc degree. Did you do any internships?
 
You’re lucky I’m bored at work. Since I have some free time for the next hour so, I might be able to provide some prospective for you since I graduated with a degree in CSIS and have been working in the industry for over a year now. This will be long, so bare with me.

First, you have to figure out exactly what it is you want to do. Do you want to work the helpdesk? Work with routers and switches? Do Systems Administration work? Work with Databases?

Depending on what you want to do, the route to getting a job in that field is different.

Helpdesk:

This is where almost everyone who didn’t go to a prestigious school / have internship experience starts out. All helpdesk positions are not created equal. You have your bottom tier helpdesk jobs which are call centers jobs. Your day to day will be extremely fast paced where you are required to complete as many tickets as possible. You'll be working mostly with remote users and most of them will have bad attitudes. Your boss will constantly be on your *** about your productivity, and being more productive then average actually hurts you, because you get lumped with more work / escalated calls because you stand out. Some may say that’s a good thing because your boss sees you as a person they can come to whenever there are problems, but **** that. If you’re working at a call center you don't want to be promoted. You want to work just hard enough to blend in and accumulate good references while you study for more advanced certs.

All helpdesk positions are not this bad. If you're lucky, you may get a job at a company where you work the helpdesk, but you also get to play around with hardware and directly interact with users. This is what you want for a first job because there will be tons of opportunities for you to learn on the job.
As far as education goes, if your goal is to work on the helpdesk, then certs are the way to go. Study for your A+, Net+, and ITIL if possible. The A+ and Net+ are your base certs. You'll need them for any position in IT as they will provide you with the basic knowledge of computers that you will need to survive in the industry.

Network Engineering / Working with routers and switches:

Your chances of getting into this field without experience are pretty much nil. Experience is the name of the game when it comes to these types of positions. Whether you have a degree will not really help you during the hiring process if you do not have prior hands on experience. Realistically, you start at the helpdesk then move up to these types of positions. People who jump into these types of positions with only a degree are people who built labs at home and have played around with the hardware until they mastered it. You’re probably not at that level yet. So your best bet is to complete your A+ and Net+, get a job on a helpdesk, then begin studying for your CCNA. I don't really link vendor specific certs, but one of the great things about the CCNA is how in depth they go over the TCP/IP protocol stack. That knowledge will be good to know in any positions especially where you're trouble shooting internet related issues. Besides the CCNA, you'll need to seriously think about creating your own lab to test out what you learn in your Net+ and CCNA studies. Buy some used hardware off ebay for cheap and learn how to create your own server. Create your own personal domain for all the computers in your house with services like DHCP and DNS included. This will teach you tons of new things as you will need to actively troubleshoot as you go. Once you’re comfortable with that start adding some cisco switches and routers to your lab and start playing around with creating vlans and setting up route tables for your home network. If you want to end up in a networking position, you have to know this stuff like the back of your hand. It will be incredibly easy to pick you apart in an interview if you do not know your stuff.

Systems Administration:

A lot of the information from networking engineering also carries of here. I won’t duplicate what I’ve already said, so heres what you need to know. The certs you need: The basics (A+ and Net+) and a MCITP and/or linux+. You can throw in the CCNA too. The MCITP will teach you the ins and outs of administrating windows based servers and the linux+ will give you some familiarity with linux which is HUGE. I emphasize huge because if you know linux well, it is very easy to get a job that pays 6 figures. Once you get familiar with linux, you want to focus on learning bash scripting and the sed and awk commands. You’ll want to get into the habit of implementing all the things you learn from these certs on the machines in your lab. This will help you remember the things you learn.

Database Admin:

This is the only position where I would recommend that you get a degree in order to enter the industry. This does not mean that you can’t learn this on your own, but the concepts that relate to database like SQL, indexes, and unions are very difficult to master on your own without the right tools at hand. Databases and programming are probably the only things I learned in college that I probably would have had trouble learning on my own.

let me know if you have questions.
 
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I recently graduated with a computer science degree and I have no clue what I'm going to do. I really don't feel like I learned the necessary tools for a career in this field. It really has me stressed out. I'm not even sure how to get my foot in the door with no real experience and a lack of knowledge.

A CS degree is meant to train you on how to become a computer scientist, not an IT professional.

The bright side is that the skills you learn as a CS major enable most to easily transition into the IT industry.

I will say this: No matter what you studied in college, if you do not have the drive / passion / initiative / interest to learn new things on your own without being told to, you will not survive for long in this industry. One thing I have learned early on is that those who stagnate are the first to go when layoffs come around.
 
Some great advice in this thread. I'm currently in school majoring in CIS and should have my AD by this time next year or sooner. I'm also studying for my 1st certification which is the A+. After that I will continue to progress via certifications.
 
Some great advice in this thread. I'm currently in school majoring in CIS and should have my AD by this time next year or sooner. I'm also studying for my 1st certification which is the A+. After that I will continue to progress via certifications.

Any specific reason why you chose CIS? Running from math requirements? :lol:

I ask because CIS is more of a business \ database \ big data type of major. I only did CSIS to avoid some of the higher level math and CS courses.

Im not exactly sure of what field you're looking to progress into, but if you're looking for a more traditional IT role, I would suggest a straight up IT degree or even a Cyber Security degree. I currently work in the Network Security field and love what I do.
 
Any specific reason why you chose CIS? Running from math requirements? :lol:
I ask because CIS is more of a business \ database \ big data type of major. I only did CSIS to avoid some of the higher level math and CS courses.
Im not exactly sure of what field you're looking to progress into, but if you're looking for a more traditional IT role, I would suggest a straight up IT degree or even a Cyber Security degree. I currently work in the Network Security field and love what I do.

I've thought about going the Security route before but I moved from one service provider to another and my ceiling here is limitless. Whats your daily task looking like if you don't mind me asking.

Also check this thread OP, might find some good info. http://niketalk.com/t/506008/it-jobs
 
Ask Slade Wilson. You too can make $100,000 in 3 months.










*Seriously though, the CIS degree would give you a shot at a lot more IT and IA jobs. Plus with the 24+ credit hours of general business as well, you would be capable of applying/obtaining a lot of other positions like Contract Specialist, Progam Analyst/Management.
 
Some great advice in this thread. I'm currently in school majoring in CIS and should have my AD by this time next year or sooner. I'm also studying for my 1st certification which is the A+. After that I will continue to progress via certifications.

Any specific reason why you chose CIS? Running from math requirements? :lol:

I ask because CIS is more of a business \ database \ big data type of major. I only did CSIS to avoid some of the higher level math and CS courses.

Im not exactly sure of what field you're looking to progress into, but if you're looking for a more traditional IT role, I would suggest a straight up IT degree or even a Cyber Security degree. I currently work in the Network Security field and love what I do.

You hit it right on the head definitely not feeling math and the crazy part is that I have one more accounting class that is required in order to get my AD. That will be the very last class I take.
 
I've thought about going the Security route before but I moved from one service provider to another and my ceiling here is limitless. Whats your daily task looking like if you don't mind me asking.
Also check this thread OP, might find some good info. http://niketalk.com/t/506008/it-jobs

My position is entry level, so it may be atypical for most security related fields.

My day goes like this:

For 2-3 hours a day I run risk reports on all the servers/computers in our network. I formulate these reports into alerts that are sent to the system admins for remediation. Most of this process is automated, so I pretty much chill, sign off on numbers, then send out my reports.

I then spend an hour or two usually after patch tuesday creating patch verification checks for our Windows based workstations.

I also answer any security related question directed to my groups email box and other than that I respond to security incidents generated by our SIEM. We dont get a lot either maybe 1 or 2 per week.

We also develop an inhouse auditor for our systems so I manage changes on that application with the rest of my team. Which isnt much of late.

Then I also have mini projects that I work on. My last project was coding an automated group policy auditor. I'm currently working on a password audit for all the systems in our network using rainbow tables.

Most of my time is spent on the internet. My job is really laid back and chill.
 
My position is entry level, so it may be atypical for most security related fields.
My day goes like this:
For 2-3 hours a day I run risk reports on all the servers/computers in our network. I formulate these reports into alerts that are sent to the system admins for remediation. Most of this process is automated, so I pretty much chill, sign off on numbers, then send out my reports.
I then spend an hour or two usually after patch tuesday creating patch verification checks for our Windows based workstations.
I also answer any security related question directed to my groups email box and other than that I respond to security incidents generated by our SIEM. We dont get a lot either maybe 1 or 2 per week.
We also develop an inhouse auditor for our systems so I manage changes on that application with the rest of my team. Which isnt much of late.
Then I also have mini projects that I work on. My last project was coding an automated group policy auditor. I'm currently working on a password audit for all the systems in our network using rainbow tables.
Most of my time is spent on the internet. My job is really laid back and chill.


Not bad. :smokin
 
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