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I am 21 years old with an associates in computer networking. I am now looking at going back to school to a university to obtain a bachelor’s degree and then later a masters degree. My goal in IT is to become an IT Manager. What degrees would best suite me and help me accomplish my goals. Also would want the degree with the most promising salary of course.

9 Spice ups
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You’ll want a MBA most likely.

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What would be the benefits of doing the MBA over the MIS? (Management in information systems)

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Duffney wrote:

What would be the benefits of doing the MBA over the MIS? (Management in information systems)

Because you straddle both worlds, but a lot of your job is handling the business side of it as well.

5

Duffney wrote:

What would be the benefits of doing the MBA over the MIS? (Management in information systems)

Businesses only care about bottom line. You want to get anywhere in management you need to know accounting.

If all you ever want to be is IT then stay out of management until you find a job that would allow you to be both the IT guy and manager.

6

I believe I am at a job now that some day I could become both. so if I go the MBA route I should go after certifications to prove my IT knowledge?

7

I’m the IT Manager at a small company, (80+ employees), and I don’t have any degrees. I had the experience my employer needed when I was hired almost 10 years ago.

I think it all depends on the type/size of company you want to work for and how far up the ladder you want to go. If you want to stay in the technical world go for the MIS, if you want to go beyond technical and into upper/executive management, go for the MBA. Pick up certifications along the way. IT Managers like to know that the people they are hiring can actually do the job they’re being hired for.

8

I have no IT qualifications just 32 years experience. However in that time I have interviewed a lot of people with IT degrees. Almost without fail they have been filled with all sorts of theory and programming and systems that are only used in universities. Get the MBA for the management and certificates as you go along for the technical stuff.

9

I have high expectations on myself as far as salary goes. I come from a middle class family and would like to change the tides. Money is a huge motivator for me so MBA looks like the best way to accomplish that. Can anyone list out what kind of studies would be involved in a MBA degree?

Accounting and so on

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Rivitir wrote:

Businesses only care about bottom line. You want to get anywhere in management you need to know accounting.

If all you ever want to be is IT then stay out of management until you find a job that would allow you to be both the IT guy and manager.

+1.

In IT, there’s usually two types of “IT Managers”:

The IT “Manager”, where a Manager comes down and manages things even though he doesn’t know so much about IT. They handle contracts and budgets and meetings with vendors and leaves the actual “IT” to the tech guys. Their job is to manage things, plain and simple, so here you’d want Business and Accounting classes just like any other Manager. Maybe a few technical certifications on the side.

And then there’s the “IT” Manager, where a highly skilled IT staff member has been around long enough and known so much that he can pretty much do everything himself. Nobody argues because nobody outside of IT knows computers or even likes computers, and the younger technicians look up to him as a mentor. He’s proven himself through experience, and he’s better than anyone else around.

In my experience, the former ends up being the most successful overall but the second ends up being more capable. However the second is rarely seen as a “real” manager, instead fitting somewhere above regular employees but behind the other managers, whereas the former is a welcomed member of the Inner Circle.

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I have no IT qualifications just 32 years experience. However in that time I have interviewed a lot of people with IT degrees. Almost without fail they have been filled with all sorts of theory and programming and systems that are only used in universities. Get the MBA for the management and certificates as you go along for the technical stuff.

I did notice that the college programs for IT make you do a whole lot of shit I would never user in my job such as programming and other stuff I am uninterested in.

12

I’m new here but fwiw I’ve been reading these CIO/CTO profiles and you can see that most of them have a BS in CS or EE or similar and then get an MBA or management/business oriented graduate degree.

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After talking with some people within my company. They suggested go with the MIS simply because I already have a strong foundation in IT and it would be easier to mix IT and business rather than go all out business. Then later on I could get my MBA through an accelerated program if needed to fit more into a management position.

What do you guys think?

14

The MBA is all well and good, but it is about what you want. I have a Masters of Science in Management (MSM) with a concentration in Info Systems Security. An MBA will set you up to be that CEO type one day, but another degree may be more useful. It really depends on what you want. I would suggest that you look at the program and the course descriptors for that program. They should give you an idea about what is going on in that particular class. Compare with other schools’ programs and find one that will set you up and interests you. School is far easier if you are interested in the topics that will be covered. Good luck.

15

You’re on the right track as long as you have your certifications, Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, and then a Masters degree in same or equivalent. +1 for the MBA as this will serve you well down the stretch for any company will hire you on the spot, if you accomplish all these. Knowledge is a wonderful thing if used for the right field? The more knowledge you gain the better off YOU WILL BE! I got my job because I had more education and overall knowledge and 12 years of IT Experience and a strong business background. I was picked over 50 applicants because as my Boss told me it was because of the experience and educational training I had a Degree (B.S.) in Finance with a minor in Economics in and I also hold a (B.S.) in Computer Science with a minor in English Literature and I am currently getting my Masters in Computer Science. Good Luck!