Career Opportunities for Information Systems Majors
Information Systems professionals understand both technology and business ... they bridge the gap between business professionals and technology experts. >> View Current IS Career Opportunities |
What’s the latest on Information Systems careers?
What’s the latest on Information Systems careers? Information Systems careers are not all about:
Information System careers are about:
How are IS careers different from CS or IT careers? IS professionals analyze business processes and design, as well as develop, implement, and manage information systems to support organizational needs. Unlike more technical degrees in computer engineering or computer science, IS involves integrating information technology solutions and business processes to meet business needs. The following table provides a high-level summary of the differences between Information Systems,
The demand for IS professionals is high worldwide. As an IS professional, you can work anywhere in the world for any kind of organization. You can choose to enter a variety of fields and industries, such as consulting, public accounting, information technology, aerospace, insurance, energy, and information security. GSU graduates with IS degrees have built successful careers as consultants, business analysts, systems analysts, programmer analysts, technology and risk assurance auditors, network and systems administrators, project managers, and computer training and support personnel. And, because the IS field is people-oriented, IS professionals may spend much less of their time sitting at a computer than employees from other business disciplines. Because it blends business and technology knowledge, an IS career is best suited for individuals who want a flexible career path to upper level management positions in business organizations that are technology-focused, business-focused, or both. Aren’t all the IT jobs being off-shored to India or China? The tech bust of the early 2000's scared a lot of people away from computing fields and the conventional wisdom is that IS jobs are headed to India or China. The conventional wisdom is just plain wrong. Business leaders agree that IT jobs in the U.S. are not disappearing and the U.S. Department of Labor predicts a rosy future for computer systems analysts, which many IS majors become after they graduate. In fact, there are more IS/IT jobs today than there were at the height of the dot com boom. The IS program at GSU prepares students for IT positions that are least likely to be out-source, those that require a blend of business and technology expertise. The U.S. Department of Labor forecasts that employment of computer and information systems managers is expected to increase 36 percent or more through the year 2012. In addition, IS is one of the top 10 fields in terms of demand and starting salaries for graduates (Job Outlook 2005 survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers). America's CareerInfoNet has reported that seven of the ten fastest-growing occupations requiring a bachelor's degree or higher are computer-related and require the skills that GSU’s IS students acquire while completing their degrees. Overall, the job outlook for individuals interested in a career in information systems is outstanding. What types of people are attracted to IS Careers? There are a lot of different profiles of successful IS professionals, but in general, IS professionals:
If this describes you, maybe you should start preparing yourself for an IS career. Are IS careers women-friendly? The opportunities for women in IS are no different than for men. Some women believe that anything to do with technology has traditionally been male-dominated, but this is not true for business-oriented computing majors such as IS. Numerous women hold prominent IS positions, including CIO positions in Fortune 500 companies, and many more have had fulfilling professional careers. An IS career should be especially appealing for women who want to:
Many types of IS jobs make it possible to work flextime or telecommute from home for all or part of the workweek. Depending on their interests and lifestyles, both men and women find such opportunities appealing. Check out The Center for Women & IT for more information about opportunities for women in IS & IT-related fields.  As you can probably already tell, IS is an integrative field. IS operates at the intersection of business and technology, and at the intersections among the various functional areas in the organization. As a result, IS professionals are constantly challenged to align IT with business objectives and to find the optimal fit between technology, business processes, and employee skills/capabilities.
Below is a sample of the kinds of jobs that IS alumni from GSU have gotten upon graduating:
Check out the Job Options links for each the IS Emphasis Areas to get an idea of the wide range of other jobs that an IS degree prepares you for. Where do IS majors look for jobs? IS majors at Georgia Southern University use both university and online sources to find internships, co-op positions, and jobs. Job hunters can take advantages of the following sources:
Will a SAP Certificate increase my career options? One of the distinctive features of the IS program at Georgia Southern University is the opportunity to earn a SAP Certificate while completing requirements for the degree. SAP is the world’s largest business software company and because GSU is a part of the SAP University Alliance, IS students can acquire hands-on experience with SAP products and solutions. SAP is used in more than 40,000 companies and its customer base is expected to surpass 100,000 companies by 2010 as a result of rolling out new products for small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). Industry experts conservatively estimate the current SAP talent shortage to be 30,000 to 40,000. The Gartner Group predicts that more than 400,000 SAP-skilled employees will be needed by SAP user organizations between now and 2015. Hence, the opportunity to earn a SAP Certificate means that you can develop skill sets that can give you a competitive advantage in the job market. This can provide more career options in business and IT, more managerial opportunities, and higher salaries. In addition, because individuals with SAP skills are highly sought after, they receive pay increases that outpace the market. Will a double major increase my career options? If you complete a dual-degree or double major, you usually increase your career options and chances of getting a higher than average starting salary. This is especially true if one of the majors completed is Information Systems because it signifies that you understand both business and technology. By coupling an IS degree with another business degree such as accounting, finance, logistics, human resource management, management, operations management, or marketing and sales, you demonstrate to employers that you are capable of contributing on both the business and systems sides of these functional areas. Because there are more places for you to plug in, you are more likely to be hired and to be hired at a competitive salary. Most GSU IS alumni who have graduated with a double major are happy with the choice they made to take a few extra courses to get both degrees. Most had multiple job offers upon graduation that offered an average of $5000+ more than the positions being offered to students without a double-major. IS graduates with a double major in accounting or logistics have been especially happy with the doors that these combinations of degrees have opened. The IS major has five business-oriented emphasis areas that enable students to complete a double major in accounting, logistics, management, or marketing by taking four or five additional courses. Double-majors should be especially appealing to students who want to increase their chances of landing a good paying job when they graduate. Will an IS minor help me get a job? Information systems are woven into the fabric of business organizations and are increasingly important in many other fields including art and design, biology, chemistry, communications, criminal justice, broadcasting, education, engineering, hotel and restaurant management, interior design, music, nursing, political science, psychology, public health, public relations, sociology, sport management, and writing. An IS minor will enhance the career options of students in any major and increase their capacity to analyze, design, and manage the business processes and information related to their major line of work. For more information about how an IS minor can complement your major and add other career options, follow the links in the How will an IS Minor complement by Major sections on the IS Minor FAQ page. |
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