What Exactly is IS???

What is IS?• Information Systems• And… ?

• Organizational Computing• Helping people in organizations achieve

their potential via computer technology• About people first, computers second

What are the degree requirements?

IS in Context

• Physical/Social Science Split• IS is not EE or CS (no need to compete or imitate)• IS is the organizational interpreter of Information Technology• Basic role is to apply Information Technology in business• Similar fields are multiplying: Medical Informatics,

Agricultural Systems, Instructional Technology, Graphic Design, Music Synthesis, etc.

Electronics Engineering

Computer ScienceInformation

Systems

Etc.Social

Sciences

Physical Sciences

IS Welcomes You!• Equal Pay for Equal Work? You Betcha!

• IS prides itself on being a profession where everyone has parity in pay and promotion opportunities.

• Excellence in IS via the Human Touch!• The most important skills in IS are systems analysis and design (not

programming). These skills are precisely where many people excel.

• Diverse Leaders Mold the IS Field!• Dr. John Von Neumann, inventor of machine language• Rear Admiral Dr. Grace Murray Hopper, inventor of the compiler and

the COBOL programming language• Carly Fiorina, former HP President, CEO, & Board Chair• etc., etc., etc.

• Have a life!• flex-time, comp-time, telecommuting, on-site daycare, job-sharing,

and other workplace innovations are the norm.• IS professionals need not sacrifice their human relationships and

personal interests for career success.

Successful IS Professionals…• Enjoy People• Listen & Speak Well• Read & Write Well• Think Logically• Organize Well• Enjoy Learning New Things• Enjoy Computers

High-Quality IS jobs Abound• Will I be sentenced to cubicle prison?

Most IS jobs do not involve full-time computer programming. Systems analysts, end-user support professionals, database analysts, human-computer interface designers, network administrators, project managers, and a host of other IS professionals do little or no computer coding.

• There just aren’t very many IS jobs available.There are more IS-related jobs available now than ever. Baby-Boomer retirements and economic growth are opening up way more jobs than were lost to the recession or outsourcing.

• All the jobs went to India!Off-shore outsourcing of IS jobs is real but will always be limited because companies are (rightly) leery of losing their trade secrets.

• What if you’re lying…www.ACInet.org, maintained by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows that 6 of the 12 fastest growing, highest paid professions in the US economy are IS-related. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 2010 IS graduates received starting salaries averaging about $60,000!

MakingYour Career

Electronics EngineeringComputer Science

MedInf, AgSys, InsTech, AIS, etc.

Programmer, DBA, LAN Mgr.,

User Support, etc.

Sys./App.Programmer

SystemsAnalyst

SystemManager

ProjectManager

Sr. Tech.Expert

Line ManagerIS Manager

CIO

CEO

MBA

Information Systems

Why UW-Eau Claire?

• Quality• US News ranked• AACSB-accredited• Top of national CCER exam• Healthiest program

• Fun!• Great student body• Great activities• Just the right size• “Wisconsin’s most beautiful

campus”•Flexibility

• Bachelor of Business Administration

• Business Analysis Emphasis• Systems Development Emphasis• Minor and Certificate

You can do this! We can help!

Major in Information Systems…

Computer Power for the People!

Explore the degree requirements