Is CIS a waste of time/money?

a_greera_greer
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I am starting this fall on a degree in CIS (comp. info. system). I keep reading that the market is totally flooded with IT guys who are far more qualified than I would be after simpley receiving a degree. For this reason I have considered transferring to a major change to Video tech, a topic I would also love, as I love tinkering with images and video.



Basically I want some input: is IT worth all of the alphabet soup of certs on top of a degree that are required? And what about computer science, what can I do with that but code? And lastly, what is the job outlook for a video geek?



I ask here because the people here are very smart and are heavily involved in the IT and media fields so who better to ask than people that are now where I would like to be.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    I'm not sure about CIS, but I'm going for Information Systems Management, and according to the OOH my job field looks good. You should check out for your or similar.
  • Reply 2 of 10
    midwintermidwinter Posts: 10,060member
    Here's my serious, hardcore, professional advice:



    1) Put off declaring a major as long as you can. Take any classes that you might be remotely interested in. See what's out there. There may be fields that you're interested in that you have yet to discover.



    2) Recognize that it is patently absurd to expect an 18 year-old to know what he is going to do for the rest of his life. [edit: I do not mean this as a slag against you. It's a complaint about the "major" system itself, which I detest.]



    3) Once you have to declare one, major in something you like. Major in something you find interesting. Major in something that you're obsessive about.



    4) Acknowledge that the odds are stacked against you that you'll get a job in whatever you majored in. All the more reason to major in something you like.



    5) Understand that the 1000 and 2000 level courses are a pain in the butt, that they are too broad and too vague, and that you'll get to the really, really interesting stuff later in your college career.



    Good luck in college. With luck, it'll be the most amazing experience you ever have.



    Cheers

    Scott
  • Reply 3 of 10
    trick falltrick fall Posts: 1,271member
    I work in a Video Post facility and in my opinion the new video engineers are just specialized IT guys, but it's pretty rare to find someone who understands the old school hardcore engineering and the new school. So maybe you should study both! Anyway I think midwinter's advice is perfect.
  • Reply 4 of 10
    midwintermidwinter Posts: 10,060member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by trick fall

    I work in a Video Post facility and in my opinion the new video engineers are just specialized IT guys, but it's pretty rare to find someone who understands the old school hardcore engineering and the new school. So maybe you should study both! Anyway I think midwinter's advice is perfect.



    Thanks!



    That's actually really good advice: merge fields. It'll make you at once broader and more highly specialized.



    I'm tempted to make some declarations about the way people ought to think about going to college, but I'll refrain, since they'll sound overly pessimistic when I don't mean them to be.



    Cheers

    Scott
  • Reply 5 of 10
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by trick fall

    I work in a Video Post facility and in my opinion the new video engineers are just specialized IT guys, but it's pretty rare to find someone who understands the old school hardcore engineering and the new school. So maybe you should study both! Anyway I think midwinter's advice is perfect.



    basicly I do IT because I can, someone needs help, they yell for me and I fix it, but in my free time, i find myself tinkering more with Photoshop and Sound forge than VC++ and VB, and video has always been a secret passion of mine, I never turn down the chance to get my hands on a cam, I love shooting video and stills,





    as to the last part of the post: If by old school you mean beta deck to beta deck with a control interface that consists of 2 knobs and 8 buttons, then yea, I have seen it done yet never opperated the equipment.



    I want to learn video so I thought a home video set up would be a better buy than a great laptop with the whistles and bells, so I am stuck between two options right now, build a P4 windows box and get Avid or go mac and FCE (I will be doing DV 'cause it is cheap)
  • Reply 6 of 10
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    I've worked in video (gallery shows and clubs when I was young) and a close friend and relative has a company that does primarily off-line work. From what I've seen, in that area film school helps out a lot more. The computer stuff is pretty secondary to the real craft involved, so much so that IT stuff is contracted out just like many other small companies. No one has time to deal with it and typically only knows the software that they use.
  • Reply 7 of 10
    trick falltrick fall Posts: 1,271member
    If you really want to get into video I would suggest the following:

    Learn how to hustle, bust ass, make good coffee and change the garbage without complaint. Learn how to answer a phone in a polite and professional manner, learn how to smile when a nasty client is screaming at you, learn the mysteries of Fedex and other shipping services. Know that you will be doing these things for at least six months before you even get to digitize a tape.



    Understand that you will be working ten hour days and also understand that if you want to get anywhere with it you'll stay for hours after work to learn the equipment on your own time.
  • Reply 8 of 10
    brbr Posts: 8,395member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by midwinter

    Thanks!



    That's actually really good advice: merge fields. It'll make you at once broader and more highly specialized.



    Cheers

    Scott



    Yeah, that's what I'm working on right now. I get my MBA next Friday and I've already started on a degree in Astrophysics. I plan on knowing and understanding the science and the business of space.
  • Reply 9 of 10
    trailmaster308trailmaster308 Posts: 699member
    I have a degree in CIS. I graduated from a very good tech university in '99. I have been a Unix Admin for 4 years and a programmer for 1.



    I just turned in my resignation 4 days ago. I am going back to school to persue a career in the health care field. Nuclear Medicine.



    To answer your question. Yes, the market is flooded with CIS majors. The degree is not that specialized compared to CS majors. More business classes than CS guys, but in my opinion they cheap you out of your hard core programming and advance math classes. Its just an easier degree so back in the day everyone got that one to get out fast and make some money. In my opinion, CS guys are more qualified and any real employer would take that degree first. Assuming all things equal.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    midwintermidwinter Posts: 10,060member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BR

    Yeah, that's what I'm working on right now. I get my MBA next Friday and I've already started on a degree in Astrophysics. I plan on knowing and understanding the science and the business of space.



    That's EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Something like an MBA or JD in International Law + an advanced degree in something like planetary geology could very well be a goldmine in the next 50 years.
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