ASK HN: Information Systems versus Computer Science
For the people out there that are in the business of making money from computer related stuff. How viable in the job market is an Information Systems degree with a minor in Computer Science, as opposed to a Computer Science degree. (Just a Bachelors for both).
Reason being, I am currently a Computer Science major and I am not exactly fond of the Calculus, I can do it, I'd just rather not, and after doing some research on the subject. I discovered that Computer Science tends to be more Research/Academia related now, and MIS is more aimed at business. Although these opinions were that of yahoo answers and some random google searches. I figured I'd ask my trusted HN community for more insight on the topic.
Thank you for taking the time to answer this.
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5 comments
| 3 points
| on HN
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"Another way to figure out which fields are worth studying is to create the dropout graph. For example, I know many people who switched from math to computer science because they found math too hard, and no one who did the opposite. People don't do hard things gratuitously; no one will work on a harder problem unless it is proportionately (or at least log(n)) more rewarding. So probably math is more worth studying than computer science. By similar comparisons you can make a graph of all the departments in a university. At the bottom you'll find the subjects with least intellectual content."
Do CS.
Keep in mind, this will vary from uni to uni:
MIS from my experience was more about database management and very basic coding skills. It was definitely more business oriented. There was a decent amount of introductory Service Oriented Architecture and other kinds of somewhat technical topics, but it's not really all that relevant.
CS still gives you the fundamentals needed to take on different kinds of system architectures and problem solving.
I by far favor CS as far as what skills will be most worthwhile. You will learn everything you could in MIS as you go along in CS. There's either a lot of overlap or MIS just plain has a lot of lacking skills as far as technical goes.
Despite the stereotype that CS is more academic, lots of those topics are amazing to have under your belt. If you're hoping to get a programming job CS is still the easiest way to get in the door.
If you just want to be a project manager (good luck at entry level) you might get away with MIS.
I would recommend the CS degree with an MIS minor instead. It's not a bad courseload in doses, but overall, to me, not as useful.
CS is significantly more respected when it comes to engineering jobs. It is also more respected for product management, project management, and the like. Google, for example (extremely selective, obviously), targets CS majors for entry level product management roles.