Could you recommend an online course to explore MIS as a major?

[chiguirre]

My dd would like to use her month off her college classes to try out some MOOCs or other self-taught options to explore possible majors. What would you recommend to get a taste of Management Information Systems? A regular AP programming class? (She has taken a high school level intro to Python, but she's doesn't program for fun.) Web design? Intro to databases? 

She doesn't need any credit and I'd prefer something free or very cheap since she may not finish the class. 

[Lanny]

I suggest looking on Coursera at their MOOC courses. Look at the most popular ones. In the emails they send to me, about the most popular ones (Python, etc.) there are some really top notch universities offering those courses. UMichigan, Duke, etc.

I believe they have introductory level courses that may be of interest to your DD.

With regard to your other thread, I would not encourage her to spend time and $ going after some kind of  Certification, unless and until she knows that is of interest to her.

Note: The only possible issue for your DD with her limited time available, might be the Starting Date of the MOOC course. I think some of them begin weekly or monthly, but am not sure.

[chiguirre]

There are lots and lots and lots of self-paced, introductory level courses in English. That's the problem. Does this seem like a good choice or would a programming class be better? Should it be Java or Python or C+? 

https://www.edx.org/course/cs50s-apr-computer-science-principles-harvardx-cs50-ap

[Lanny]

Java and Python are Scripting languages?  Python is apparently enormously popular now.  C+ or C++ is closer to the C language, which I had some experience with, MANY years ago. However, those are Programming Languages.

If I get the drift of your original question, your DD might be interested in a Major involving IT or something in that area. There are SO many different Majors now. Data Scientists. All kinds of titles that didn't exist in the days when I was doing Assembly Language programming, on bare metal.

So, rather than her looking at a course that is directed, exclusively or partially, at a Language, because you indicated she doesn't program for fun (and I have BTDT and I don't find Coding very much fun, what I liked was when I had the opportunity to be in on the beginning of a project, which is rare, to read the Specs and Requirements and to do the "top-level-design" and work from there.

She may be like my DD, who has some interest now, possibly in Stats.  UNC has become overwhelmed during the past several years, with a HUGE increase in CS students. I think it went from approximately 200 to 1000, but don't have the exact numbers, but that has resulted in a lack of course availability and huge classes, as they look for more Professors and resources.  So, my DD told my DW she would like to take  a CS course, but they are full...

If your DD could find a course that would give her a high level view of what goes on in an IT department and what the people with different skills do, that would be better for her, IMO.  People sometimes do one thing for a long time and become extremely skilled with that (hoping that it doesn't become obsolete) and others (I was one of those) have the word "Generalist" on their Resume and can do many different things, but probably only Stellar in one or 2 of those things.  Sometimes a potential employer will want someone who has deep expertise with one thing, and other times, they will want someone like me, a Generalist, who has done and can do many different things. On at least one occasion, I didn't know until I got to the facility of the client, that what the Hiring Manager really wanted was something else in my background. It had little or nothing to do with what the Recruiter had told me.  I remember asking him, during the phone interview, "what hardware and software will you be using?" and his response and then me telling him, "You have my resume, you see that I have no experience with that Hardware and Software?"

If your DD (or mine) ends up in something related to CS or IT or MIS or whatever you want to call it, they can make a lot of money and there are tons of openings, but they should not, IMO, do it unless they enjoy the work.
 

[Arcadia]

MIS is more of the management side than programming side. I did the MCSE and RHCE certifications and my first degree is in civil engineering. Employers didn’t care as I had lots of MIS experience working in my university’s computer center while an undergrad doing campus wide Windows 95 to Windows NT migration. 

If your daughter is interested in Linux, the RHCE boot camp was four days of crash course with the 5th day being the exam day. It’s possible to get an entry level job with the certification. A MIS manager would be expected to have some years of experience with enterprise management. 

A MIS job can be 24/7 depending on employers and size of companies. I was a post sale escalation engineer so the clients’ MIS staff would troubleshoot and activate the post sales engineers if they can’t solve it. Mine did involve flying at times to client’s server farm because data servers can have both hardware and software failing at the same time. 

Had to know from courses if she might like the work. Best is shadowing someone even for a day. Companies are actively encouraging high school girls into the tech industry as part of their diversity campaigns. Look out for events like these https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/diversity/programs/digigirlz/default.aspx

[chiguirre]

Thanks!

My dd is likely to major in Actuarial Science but she wants to do a double major in the business school. Her potential majors there include MIS (taking as many data science classes as possible) or finance or possibly even marketing (they have several data analysis classes). She's planning on going to an actuarial science camp this summer and I can help her find MOOCs for finance and marketing,  but my IT experience is limited to a bit of Cobol programming. I don't know what would be a good, short sampler to help her pick a major. The business major isn't super critical because you don't declare your area until junior year. You have time to take the intro classes in several areas (they're requirements anyway because of the way BBAs are structured). But she's got a month off from her DE classes and she'd like to sample some classes to see what she likes best. Since she's going in with her core requirements complete, she can get started early with her major classes so that she doesn't have to take them when she studies abroad.

[MamaSprout]

If she's computer savvy already, she might be able to do the first CompTia certification exam in a month. There's a free course here: https://www.professormesser.com/free-a-plus-training/220-1001/220-1000-training-course/

My DS is using those certifications to by-pass courses for the IT portion of his Biotech Engineering Management degree. He's already in the field, but is going back to school to be able to move up.

Another option for someone with interest in Actuarial science isn't very exciting- learning Microsoft Access. A lot of database platforms uses it or a similar software as the foundation.

[Arcadia]

How about Business Intelligence instead of MIS for her second major in business school. It’s more tie in to actuarial science.

She might want to look at job listings to get some ideas.

e.g. AIG Houston, Texas https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/business-intelligence-analyst-actuarial-at-aig-1593698183

“The Business Intelligence Analyst position will support the American General Life Actuarial Experience Studies Department, reporting to the Director, Actuarial Data Support. The selected candidate will have significant technical experience in data warehousing, programming and report generation, as well as considerable life insurance knowledge. The position will provide business analysis and development expertise in designing, and implementing data assets to support the department's needs. This includes the ability to code, test, debug and document programs.

A Bachelor's degree in Business information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering or related discipline, or equivalent work experience and technical training is required. Minimum of five years experience in technical solution development, programming, and/or creating complex data transformations is required. The candidate also needs to proficient in appropriate programming languages, utilities and code management tools, e.g., JCL, Advanced SQL developer, Cobol, VBA and the Microsoft suite, including Excel, Access, Visio, and Word.”
 

 

[chiguirre]

35 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

How about Business Intelligence instead of MIS for her second major in business school. It’s more tie in to actuarial science.

She might want to look at job listings to get some ideas.

e.g. AIG Houston, Texas https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/business-intelligence-analyst-actuarial-at-aig-1593698183

“The Business Intelligence Analyst position will support the American General Life Actuarial Experience Studies Department, reporting to the Director, Actuarial Data Support. The selected candidate will have significant technical experience in data warehousing, programming and report generation, as well as considerable life insurance knowledge. The position will provide business analysis and development expertise in designing, and implementing data assets to support the department's needs. This includes the ability to code, test, debug and document programs.

A Bachelor's degree in Business information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering or related discipline, or equivalent work experience and technical training is required. Minimum of five years experience in technical solution development, programming, and/or creating complex data transformations is required. The candidate also needs to proficient in appropriate programming languages, utilities and code management tools, e.g., JCL, Advanced SQL developer, Cobol, VBA and the Microsoft suite, including Excel, Access, Visio, and Word.”
 

 

That's cool. Unfortunately, none of our local schools offer it as a major. UT offers a Data Analytics Certificate. They also offer a Risk Management certificate. But, she still will need to pick a concentration for her BBA and one option is MIS.

[mumto2]

She might want to take a look at the Management Information class at Saylor University.  Totally free can convert it to ACE credits if she pays the fee for the exam.  https://www.saylor.org/2013/03/management-information-systems-mobile-apps-aka-bus206-appified/  My kids have used a few of the computer classes at Saylor to explore additional areas and have been impresses.  Neither has done this one.

[EKS]

Not answering your question, but here is something interesting about the difference between MIS and CS. https://eller.arizona.edu/departments-research/schools-departments/mis/what-is-mis

[EKS]

Double post

Edited December 15, 2019 by EKS

[AEC]

late to the thread..but...

Java and Python are both programming languages, as are C and C++.  All are fairly similar (of the 4, Python is the most distinct). All are in widespread common use today (except C. Almost no one writes anything in C except very low-level software)  Of the set, Java probably sees the most widespread usage and is a decent starting place.  It's what's used for AP CompSci, FWIW.

That said...MIS is mostly about everything EXCEPT programming. You  need to be able to do it, and it's a handy skill for nearly every job these days. But mostly, MIS is about managing systems - of data, of people, of processes. It's an operations job/degree.

I might suggest (since you don't need credits) some fun information mgt projects.  Get an EchoDot and program some new Alexa skills. Or, assuming the student has enough math, check out some of the introduction to machine learning coursera classes.

Edited December 24, 2019 by AEC