Kieran Mathieson wrote:
>
> > A question from the Padania: what is IS?
>
> Information systems, also called management information systems. Most
> programs are in business schools in the US, although some are in other
> places. IS (or MIS) is concerned with using information technology to
> solve business problems, rather than with the technology itself. For
> instance, an IS course in ecommerce might emphasize how ecommerce goals
> can be driven by corporate strategy, how ecommerce affects relationships
> with customers and the firm's traditional distribution channel, and how an
> ecommerce team might be comprised and managed. There would be technical
> stuff as well, but less than there would be in a course taught in a
> computer science department.
In other words, MIS is basically a course in how to guarantee people
with real tech skills will never like or respect you ;)
Somewhat obviously, I don't have a great opinion of MIS programs. :P
The following link is a good one to show what i think they more often
than not yield:
http://www.aberdeen.com/research/comp/onsite/case1/body.htm
MIS teaches too much management and marketing and not enough common
sense in many cases. Always try to steer people toward a double major
when they ask me--go CS first, with a second major or a minor in IS from
the business side. Better yet, get a completely irrelevant degree that
teaches critical thinking, and read some management books and user
manuals <G>
> > but if there aren't women what could be the reason???
>
> See the other posts. I really don't know.
It goes beyond other posts. Right now we hear a lot of hoopla about
this, probably because "IT" is where people see the money going.
I can't, personally, remember the last time any of the following
happened to me, though:
1. I got a female auto mechanic at Jiffy Lube
2. I got a female sales person at a major electronics chain store.
3. I had a female HVAC repair technician
4. I had a female appliance repair person
5. A woman showed up to fix my plumbing . . . .
ETC.
The cable company has a better record, as does phone company (running
about 50-50 there).
IT is in the spotlight because of power and money, but the issues go
much deeper. Kind of unfair to lay the "blame" for this on one
industry.
Perhaps those in the hiring might want to look outside those IS
degrees? I managed to hire a full web team of women at my last job. I
went to people with Library Science, Demographics/Statistics, Art, and
other degrees (and had to tell HR to bite me when they complained that
"IT degree" was a "requirement" not a suggestion in the job listing).
Education is to teach critical thinking, not checklist skills. Someone
with a solid education can pick up IT tasks rather simply if they have
good critical thinking skills.
Those women, have, BTW, either moved on to form their own web teams, or
are currently running the old one. ;)
How many of the men on this list have an actual CS or MIS/IS degree and
are working in the "IT" field? (I know Mike and I don't, others?)
The problem here, it would seem, is really assuming that computer geeks
have to major in computer geekiness to count in the measurement. Same
problems those complaining about a lack of qualified "computer
professionals" in this country seem to experience . . . . ;)
Brett
____________________________________________________________________
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Join The Web Consultants Association : Register on our web site Now
Web Consultants Web Site : http://just4u.com/webconsultants
If you lose the instructions All subscription/unsubscribing can be done
directly from our website for all our lists.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
