Combining IT and Business

Information Technology and Business

I believe that the market for IT learned individuals has grown exponentially in the past 20 years, leading to a gap between those with knowledge about running computers and those running a business. The foundation and smooth operation of many businesses rely on secure, complex and integrated systems, whether it be the company website or internal e-mail accounts and calendar synchronization. I believe there is now an increasing market for persons with both the business and computer mindset, bringing them together to create profitable and efficient systems. The complexities involved with given system architecture are next to impossible to explain and troubleshoot with one that has little or no IT experience. And at the same time, employees involved solely with the hard code, network and analysis do not have the business concepts needed to maximize efficiency. Schooling in both areas of knowledge is becoming increasingly valuable within any business.

Sauder School of Business and Computer Science Faculty

At the University of British Columbia, the faculty of commerce (Sauder) and the faculty of Computer Science have formed a dual major program This combines the business side of IT through the specialization of Management of Information Systems (MIS) with Computer Science courses such as database management and complex software construction. I personally am taking a minor in computer science in order to bypass unnecessary pre-requisites while still learning about important factors within computer science. This experience in my first year has been rewarding and I can already see the benefits of dipping within both areas of knowledge and I can personally vouch for the benefits of having an understanding of both disciplines.