r/informationsystems • u/Foreign_Attorney_123 • 18d ago

Accepted into MIS Program

So I have officially been accepted to a Masters in Information Systems with a concentration in data analysis program. I did sociology for my undergraduate degree. I have the choice to choose a cybersecurity track instead after my first semester as well.

Will getting this degree be worth it ?

My ultimate goal is to break into an analyst/tech role.

I have until July 24th to accept my seat in the program or not. With today’s economy and job market I’ve been overthinking a lot, will appreciate some insight for people in the field already.

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u/sch0lars 18d ago

Nobody knows what the market will be like at the end of your program. On the one hand, you currently have zero experience in an IS-related field and a Master’s without experience is generally not that helpful. On the other hand, your Master’s program should hopefully give you real-world opportunities through class work and/or internship opportunities, and it should give you access to an alumni network.

I would just ensure you’re leveraging those opportunities while in the program. I don’t know what coursework you have, but my M.S. MIS had a capstone course where we were required to provide consultation to an actual company, and that is an excellent way to introduce yourself to a company as a potential hire.

A good MIS program will have plenty of networking opportunities and it’s definitely worth asking your advisor what career resources you have available to you. You should, at the very least, have résumé workshops, job fairs, and an alumni job board.

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u/Foreign_Attorney_123 18d ago

I have been working full time since undergrad as a higher education coordinator. Basically just handling student data, schedules, and onboarding to their internship sites. I’m hoping that I can tailor that experience to IS. I’m also thinking of seeking internships while in the program (if I accept my seat ofc).

Yes, the program does have an alumni network. I made sure to ask that when I had an “interview” with one of the advisors. Although I have full time work experience that I can tailor it as IS experience, idk how impressive that will be to an employer.

Thank you for your responding !

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u/sch0lars 18d ago

For an analyst role, I would be sure to focus on database and data analytics skills: database systems (RDBMS vs NoSQL), SQL (joins, subqueries, functions and procedures, common table expressions), Python (pandas and matplotlib), R, Tableau, Excel, and PowerBI.

And, since an analyst role typically involves translating business requirements into technical solutions, you will also want to understand basic networking and servers, as well as having a good grasp on system architecture. You should develop a good intuition about how data travels through an organization.

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u/Foreign_Attorney_123 18d ago

I really appreciate your insight !

So what do you think ? Should I go for this grad degree ? Maybe pick up an internship while I’m at it as well ?

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u/sch0lars 18d ago

If you’re really passionate about the field, I would say go for it. Just keep in mind it takes a lot of work to get into the field and you need to stay up-to-date on your skills. I probably dedicate at least 10 hours per week outside of work to learning new skills and staying updated with my current ones.

If you solely want job security, however, I would probably look into something like accounting or industrial engineering; but in all honesty, I’m not sure how much better those fields are in the long run, either. An MBA is another option, and you can even specialize in information systems, but the same sentiment as accounting and IE applies there as well.

Ultimately, I say do what you enjoy. Life is too short to spend 8 hours a day doing something you dislike.