The perfect IT Education? (IT/Nerd Alert)

[BushCountry]

Below is a typical Associate Level Degree program in Information Systems.   Quite frankly, I think programs like these programs are a disservice to communities they serve.  I also firmly believe that improper education and training of America's IT personal has hurt the economy and has made a major contribution to the decline in IT jobs.  Yes, I know the bubble burst, but companies are not pushing forward aggressively when it comes to IT.  So many companies got burnt by poorly trained IT personal and their empty promises that they are running scared. I value and respect the input of the people on this site, so I ask, "If you could develop/design a perfect Information System AA degree program what would it contain?" 

My thoughts are presented in italics.  Please feel free to rename courses, add/subtract ideas, and give me your two cents worth.

Introduction to computers and computing.  This course should be designed with a few thoughts in mind;  How to keep my computers/network secure.  How to maintain/optimize the units where the operator is the bottleneck.  Company-wide hardware purchasing decisions and cost benefit analysis of upgrades.  Basically, I am saying that these programs should skip 90% of what they teach about the internal operation of the computer (no text book is up-to-date and the information for the most part is laughable).

Computer programming and problem solving.  This course should be based on html, html help, java script, and SQL.

Basic spreadsheet design and development. Every spreadsheet should be designed and developed toward decisions that an IT personal makes daily.  For instance how to calculate company-wide hardware/software purchases, IT labor costs and benefits, and cost benefit analysis of upgrades.

An introduction to graphic design software.  Is this really necessary?  If necessary, this course should use software that produces flowcharts, network cabling diagrams, and how to optimize graphics for the web/databases.

Operating systems concepts; database concepts and applications.  Every computer should be a multi-boot operating system machine with connectivity issues discussed. The connectivity issues;  Security, Internet, LAN, WAN, and Terminal Services.  Database concepts and applications should relate to the current technologies for data warehousing, access times and bandwidth requirements, and backup procedures.

Database programming; installation and maintenance of computer hardware.  The database design projects should include a fictional company employee database (should allow the employee to change information as required, e.g. address info, health insurance, and dependents), computer / software / network inventory, knowledge base of common networking troubleshooting and connectivity issues relating to this fictional company, and company policy/handbook. 

Computer training and support techniques.  Cost benefit analysts can not be stressed enough.  Network and computer security, privacy and computer use policy issues, and remote administration/repair of PCs.

Systems analysis and design.  Internal structured cabling, network communications technologies, supporting remote users, firewalls, routers, gateways, and designing a secure system. 

Design and implementation of a systems project.  One design project of a new 500 workforce fictional company.  The layout of the three building complex, server software scheme and department level breakdown should be completed by the instructor.  Students should be required to make the purchasing decisions for the purchase of Network Servers, Switches/Routers, Structure Cabling and Racks,  Personal Computers, and networking/pc software.

Electives (Degree - 2 courses) - Students are required to take a 3-credit-hour humanities/fine arts course and a 3-credit-hour social/behavioral science course.  For once, I am at a loss for words.  These courses are suppose to make the IT professional a well-rounded individual.  I would like to find a more practical use for these 6 credit hours. Any suggestions?

English (Degree - 2 courses) - These courses emphasize the writing process and professional communication skills.  First course should be technical writing, practical proposals and grants.  Second course should be creating effective web documents, e.g. HTML Help and Employee Computer Use Handbooks.

Math (Degree - 1 course) - Survey of topics including sets, logic, probability, statistics, matrices, mathematical systems, geometry, topology, mathematics of finance, and modeling.  Math course topics should relate to Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and cost benefit analysts of everything from increase network bandwidth to speeding up PC by adding memory.  In other words, practical math for the network and system administrators.

[tophat9000]

Hey BushCountry

First just to get an idea where your coming from, what your current background in IT?

I must say your opening statement about Introduction to computers and computing Basically, I am saying that these programs should skip 90% of what they teach about the internal operation of the computer.....I disagree strongly with ...

There needs to improved training of the fundamentals

I been in this field since 1980 and worked a wide range of areas but primarily as a field service engineer

My primary bitch is getting people who can’t troubleshoot a problem because they have no understanding of the basics

All they know is the one little box they have been trained on ... that the world too them

[Chad Fairbanks]

Database programming

Start out with Relational Algebra, from whence the concept of 'Relational Databases' derives from. Once they have a firm grasp of that, move on to more database-related instructions... again, just my opinion...

[Chad Fairbanks]

Good call... was going to mention similar things - without a firm grasp of how computers actually function, most IT people would be next to worthless - many today don't care how it works, they only know that it does, and that's good enough for them. I hate that.

[dfwgator]

I mean, anyone can "learn VB in 21 days", but if they have no grounding in anything else, how good of a VB Programmer could they ever really be?

Of course to the pointy-headed bean counter types, if they are cheap, they are "good enough."

[dr_who_2]

Certainly not those languages. At least one scripting languages, but also some lower level compiled languages to give them a feel of what they're getting into. Help them understand what buffer overflows and other such modern day plagues are.

[Chad Fairbanks]

I know... our engineering R&D group has the engineers interview potential job candidates in addition to the usual HR Interviews.... it took us over a year to find someone to fill an engineering slot because the quality of applicants was so pathetic. What was even scarier, was the fact that most had BS degrees, but had zero knowledge of the most basic stuff...

[LurkedLongEnough]

"madatory course in English Composition"

..."mandatory" you mean... *wink

[decimon]

I'm not a nerd but an oldie (1981) I enjoyed was The Soul of a New Machine.

[LurkedLongEnough]

Instruction about popular utilities to help system admins might be useful.

[dark_lord]

You have listed some true classics. Your list is more applicable to senior IT personnel rather than junior personnel, so I will add to the list with that perspective in mind.

11. "Writing Effective Use Cases" by Alistair Cockburn (2001)
12. "Agile Software Development" by Alistair Cockburn (2002)
13. "UML Distilled 2nd Edition" by Martin Fowler and Kendall Scott (2000)
14. "Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture" by Martin Fowler (2003
15. "Web Services and Service-Oriented Architectures” by Douglas Barry (2003)
16. "Pair Programming Illuminated" by Laurie Williams and Robert Kessler (2003)
17. "Secrets & Lies" by Bruce Schneier (2000)

I also recommend the few books on the Rational Unified Process. Compare and contrast with Extreme Programming.

[dfwgator]

I do have the Fowler Patterns of Enterprise Architecture in my original list.

I should have added this one: The Pragmatic Programmer - Thomas and Hunt.

Also, Strunk and White's "The Elements of Style" - Of course it has nothing to do with computers, but I would still have it as mandatory reading.

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

I just assumed that the disservice you would be referring to would be the fact that IT jobs for Americans are disappearing. As a s/w engineer (not IT) I would suggest that anyone considering IT or any high-tech career should first look at the job market.
There are numerous threads on freerepublic regarding the factors involved in the growing trend to offshore and hire H1B and L1 visa workers. Not that IT is the only sector being hit. Any American who works behind a desk could be unemployed very soon according to one corporate exec.

[BushCountry]

I have fixed/built hundreds of computers. I have taught CompTIA A+ Hardware/Software and Windows 2000 MCSE Certification Track. I also have an electronics background, telecommunication, avionics, and robotics.

When I teach the A+ Hardware and Software Certifications programs I am disappointed on a vast majority of questions as how they relate to a medium to large IT departments. I have seen techs troubleshoot an $8.00 MODEM or NIC Card for three hours. The amount of time wasted on troubleshooting as opposed to field replacing the component is staggering.

[Starboard]

A little "input" from someone who works in the IT field and taught AA level students...

1. I realize this is a composite description, but the course on "Operating systems concepts; database concepts and applications" is a mixed bag of topics, not to mention the addition of "connectivity issues, Security, Internet, LAN, WAN, and Terminal Services." App development and DB concepts should be separate courses IMO.

2. I'm confused by the combination of "Database programming; installation and maintenance of computer hardware." These are really unrelated topics.

3. The "Systems analysis and design" course correctly addresses topology issues (internal structured cabling, network communications technologies, supporting remote users, firewalls, routers, gateways, and designing a secure system) but this brief descriptiondoes not apprear to provide a good foundation for understanding other system components.

4. It is essential that students get exposure to data communications. I would make that a separate course.

[Ramius]

I would agree.

Sometimes I wonder if there isn't a certain aptitude for problem-solving that either "you got" or "you ain't got". I don't know if problem-solving skills can be taught. There some innate curiosity about how the box works that makes an IT star.

One of my favorite interview questions (esp. for a user-support helpdesk type job) is: "Tell me about your computer at home"...

The people with the "A" answer will often get it right even before they say a word. Their eyes will light up, pupils will dilate a little and they'll launch off into an excited description of the really COOL gaming machine that he/she BUILT last week, or is still working on. They're just DYING to talk about this new motherboard they found or the really incredible video card, or the gigabit-over-copper network that they're running for their home cluster-server.

Then I know I've found the right one. I couldn't care less whether they ever took a class.

[SlickWillard]

Math (Degree - 1 course) - Survey of topics including sets, logic, probability, statistics, matrices, mathematical systems, geometry, topology, mathematics of finance, and modeling. Math course topics should relate to Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and cost benefit analysts of everything from increase network bandwidth to speeding up PC by adding memory. In other words, practical math for the network and system administrators.

Are you joking? You've just described about ten years worth of study at the undergraduate/graduate/math/economics/accounting/MBA/PhD level.

I've taught systems administration and programming at the community college level, and, quite frankly, my opinion is that it's an utter and complete waste of time. The overwhelming factor in determining a person's ability to succeed in IT is their IQ, and you have no control over that whatsoever. Other personal qualities, such as perseverance, or sobriety, are important, but they're trumped by IQ.

As a general rule of thumb: The average recipient of a master's or PhD in theoretical computer science is at best capable of earning a living as a programmer, NOT as a researcher. The average recipient of a bachelor's in computer science is at best capable of earning a living as a systems administrator, NOT as a programmer. The average recipient of an associate's in applied computer science is at best capable of earning a living as a cabling monkey, although it's more likely that he'll end up as a janitor or a nightwatchman.

If a person has the IQ [and the perseverance and the sobriety] sufficient to earn a living as a programmer, he can [and will] go down to Barnes & Noble, buy a $29.99 "Teach Yourself in X Days" monograph, and teach himself.

PS: All programming courses should start with some sort of a "computer math" pre-requisite. If a prospective student can't tell you that e.g. a 32 bit integer is capable of holding 2³² values, which range from -2³¹ to [2³¹ - 1], and that e.g.

[2³¹ - 1] + 1 = -2³¹

then they should be expelled from the course before it begins.

[BushCountry]

Here is the premises that this thread is based on (or at least what I hope for):  That businesses whether large or small, public or private, well funded or not, are currently grappling with the issues of integrating technology.  In all cases they face the fact that technology-related innovation tends to be adopted in a patchy fashion by an untrained or poorly trained staff. In addition, regardless of the level of resources available, those resources that do exist tend to be severely underutilized, or at least not utilized in the most effective ways.  That is why I was wondering what you guys thought about the Perfect IT course design.

[BushCountry]

Here is the premises that this thread is based on (or at least what I hope for):  That businesses whether large or small, public or private, well funded or not, are currently grappling with the issues of integrating technology.  In all cases they face the fact that technology-related innovation tends to be adopted in a patchy fashion by an untrained or poorly trained staff. In addition, regardless of the level of resources available, those resources that do exist tend to be severely underutilized, or at least not utilized in the most effective ways.  That is why I was wondering what you guys thought about the Perfect IT course design.

[vannrox]

Some Basics:

• Be able to speak English Clearly
  
• Must be able to read Written English to a College Level of Proficiency
  
• Must be able to work in Assembly language
  
• Must be able to understand the difference between a W-2; a 1099; a subchapter "S"; a "C" corporation; an Exempt; and a non-Exempt employee.
  
• Must be able to solder and understand basic electronics

[BushCountry]

Here is the premiss that this thread is based on (or at least what I hope for):  That businesses whether large or small, public or private, well funded or not, are currently grappling with the issues of integrating technology.  In all cases they face the fact that technology-related innovation tends to be adopted in a patchy fashion by an untrained or poorly trained staff. In addition, regardless of the level of resources available, those resources that do exist tend to be severely underutilized, or at least not utilized in the most effective ways.  That is why I was wondering what you guys thought about the Perfect IT course design.