What Exactly is IS???

1
What Exactly is IS???
2
What is IS?

• Information Systems
• And ?
• Organizational Computing
• Helping people in organizations achieve their
  potential via computer technology
• About people first, computers second
• What are the degree requirements?

3
IS in Context
Etc.
Social Sciences
Information Systems
Computer Science
Physical Sciences
Electronics Engineering

• Physical/Social Science Split
• IS is not EE or CS (no need to compete or
  imitate)
• IS is the organizational interpreter of
  Information Technology
• Basic role is to apply Information Technology in
  business
• Similar fields are multiplying Medical
  Informatics, Agricultural Systems, Instructional
  Technology, Graphic Design, Music Synthesis, etc.

4
IS Welcomes You!

• Equal Pay for Equal Work? You Betcha!
• IS prides itself on being a profession where
  everyone has parity in pay and promotion
  opportunities.
• Excellence in IS via the Human Touch!
• The most important skills in IS are systems
  analysis and design (not programming). These
  skills are precisely where many people excel.
• Diverse Leaders Mold the IS Field!
• Dr. John Von Neumann, inventor of machine
  language
• Rear Admiral Dr. Grace Murray Hopper, inventor of
  the compiler and the COBOL programming language
• Carly Fiorina, former HP President, CEO, Board
  Chair
• etc., etc., etc.
• Have a life!
• flex-time, comp-time, telecommuting, on-site
  daycare, job-sharing, and other workplace
  innovations are the norm.
• IS professionals need not sacrifice their human
  relationships and personal interests for career
  success.

5
Successful IS Professionals

• Enjoy People
• Listen Speak Well
• Read Write Well
• Think Logically
• Organize Well
• Enjoy Learning New Things
• Enjoy Computers

6
High-Quality IS jobs Abound

• Will I be sentenced to cubicle prison?
• Most IS jobs do not involve full-time computer
  programming. Systems analysts, end-user support
  professionals, database analysts, human-computer
  interface designers, network administrators,
  project managers, and a host of other IS
  professionals do little or no computer coding.
• There just arent very many IS jobs available.
• There are more IS-related jobs available now
  than ever. Baby-Boomer retirements and economic
  growth are opening up way more jobs than were
  lost to the recession or outsourcing.
• All the jobs went to India!
• Off-shore outsourcing of IS jobs is real but
  will always be limited because companies are
  (rightly) leery of losing their trade secrets.
• What if youre lying
• www.ACInet.org, maintained by the US Bureau of
  Labor Statistics, shows that 6 of the 12 fastest
  growing, highest paid professions in the US
  economy are IS-related. The US Bureau of Labor
  Statistics reports that 2010 IS graduates
  received starting salaries averaging about
  60,000!

7
MakingYour Career
CEO
CIO
Line Manager
IS Manager
Sr. Tech.Expert
ProjectManager
SystemManager
MBA
Sys./App.Programmer
SystemsAnalyst
Programmer, DBA, LAN Mgr., User Support, etc.
Computer Science
Information Systems
Electronics Engineering
MedInf, AgSys, InsTech, AIS, etc.
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Why UW-Eau Claire?

• Fun!
• Great student body
• Great activities
• Just the right size
• Wisconsins most beautiful campus

• Quality
• US News ranked
• AACSB-accredited
• Top of national CCER exam
• Healthiest program

• Flexibility
• Bachelor of Business Administration
• Business Analysis Emphasis
• Systems Development Emphasis
• Minor and Certificate

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You can do this! We can help!

• Major in Information Systems
• Computer Power for the People!
• Explore the degree requirements