Posted on 07/27/2003 9:24:31 AM PDT by 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.
That's true, but I would be more impressed with someone who knew of an API that actually performed the bimary sort, rather than someone who reinvented the wheel. And the fact is, with today's languages, you shouldn't have to code basic functions like binary sorts.
Todays languages may not run on old hardware. And knowing how to make a binary sort is not so important as having all the knowlege that is necessary to make a binary sort (knowlege which is priceless but which will cause the making of the sort to be trivial)
Then you can afford to do it right. But when you have a client directly, and a bid, and a budget, sometimes you can't. (sometimes is unhappily always ALL THE TIME in my case ;_;)
Which is moot anyway because the bosses always bid in such a way that the wrong way is the only possible way to do it
I didn't last long in jobs like that. FInally found that in Medical-related fields, if you can't do it right then it doesn't get done... Never been happier :0)
The single biggest favor you can do for yourself is to write simple, obvious, documented code. Put it in callable subroutines, modules, or "daemons," and use it over and over.
The two biggest jerks that I have to work with on a daily basis are both me.
The first one is me last year, who considered the piece of code that I'm looking at now to be so obvious that it didn't require annotation.
The second one is me next year, who is such a dummy that he wants me to put notes on everything!
:)
As far as a perfect IT education goes, I have a BA in music and have been an IT professional for 18 years. I agree with the earlier posters who maintain that the best IT folks are those who don't have IT degrees.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.