What was your most memorable UD MIS experience?

UD MIS 25th Anniversary Celebration

What was your most memorable UD MIS experience?

HOW TERRIFIED I WAS TO DISAPPOINT THE INSTRUCTORS, PARTICULARLY DR. BOHLEN.



starting my first day at my first job and, not only following what was

being said around me, but also being able to contribute to the conversations/solutions



Final project presentation, getting better each time in front of the

groups of people



MIS Senior Project 9-hole

(drinking with professors!)



MIS Club Dinners



SENIOR PROJECT CAPSTONE!



It would be a combination of all the late night group sessions working on

my senior project and the final presentation at the end of the year. It felt like all the work was worth it.



When my senior project teammate offered to give a live demo of our non-working system during our

Stander presentation.



What do you see as the 3 most important changes or trends in MIS /

IT in the next 5 – 10 years?


Growing availability of free wireless internet access

What do you see as the 3 most important changes or trends in MIS / IT in the next 5 – 10 years?


Mobile computing, keeping up with technology innovations (iPhone, IPad,

phone apps, social media)



Replacing the aging / retiring workforce in the US.



* Mainstream adoption of SAAS deployment, of even the most staid,

back office software



The blending of IT/MIS into traditional commercial roles. (ex...digital

marketing, on-line commerce, supply chain automation)



Data security



Social Networking



Cloud Services/SAAS



Virtualization becomes standard offerings



business analytics (data mining)



project management



Understanding data management and access. Business transformation and

fundamentals of IT.



Working with offshore counterparts



How can students graduating from the MIS program be most prepared

for the future?


get practical/hands-on experience (co-ops, internships)

How can students graduating from the MIS program be most prepared for the future?


Obtain basic systems analysis, architecture and business acumen...then focus on project management and data

analysis (six sigma). Mentoring from and working with those of us who have been in the field may be helpful...and

eye opening about the new realities of the MIS field and global competition for

work.How can students graduating from the MIS program be most prepared for the future?


Learn multiple languages and platforms - don't get too specialized



Developing Functional and technical skills, patience in working with others,

good communication skills



make a conscious decision to not sweat the small stuff.

have thick skin or grow some.



work to live not live to work.

Don't let your job be your primary identity.



* Get real life experience. * Stay on top of Trends. * Be a well rounded person.



Intern/co-op/work summers at companies. Nothing prepares you for

the real world as a real-world glimpse on the job.



Be prepared to change and continue to invest in themselves Invest time in

understand their customer's business, much more important than the

technology



Understand that that technological advances should not be driving business strategies.

Technologies should be sought out to support and enable strategies. Time and time again I have seen good ideas fail, because they were executed for the sake of the technology being

hip or trendy. Take social media as an example. Many companies have jumped on the idea, but few have implemented it well,

with a sustainable plan and ROI.How can students graduating from the MIS program be most prepared for the future?


Experience, however they can get it.



Be open to all opportunities... don't limit yourself



Concentrate on becoming a well rounded student. Don't just focus on areas that you

are strong in. Rather than being an expert in a specific technology function, be able to understand and comprehend all business

related tasks (finance, operations, accounting, etc). If you can add these skills to an existing technology understanding you will be much

more marketable for jobs that require people to work across large organizations.



have a double major or minor - which will give you perspective and ways to

talk to other professionals. IT professionals develop solutions for

others to use...

2nd major or minor - ability to "translate" what the business wants to

what the technical team will build



I can't emphasize how important it is to have social and communication skills in

the workplace.



Become well diversified in all areas of business



Learn how to set themselves apart from commoditized offshore programmers.

When you already have a strong understanding of business, it makes you

twice as valuable. Strong technical resources are cheaply available

overseas. Be able to explain why we should hire you instead. Have strong

leadership, communication and collaboration skills.



be more than book smart. understand what the industry needs as a "green

bean". Students coming into the workforce need to understand they are not entitled to a position but must work hard to learn whatever work is given to

them. IT or not.



No matter where you land in your first position dive right in. Sign up to help with internal projects. Ask questions from everyone. The faster you can acclimate the faster you and your

position will be indispensable. Also, expect to change jobs quite a few times in the first part of your career and to not

get discouraged by this.



1) Meet and ask questions to industry experts 2) Stay up-to-date on blogs and

the news 3) Challenge the status quo



Find a niche interest outside of the regular curriculum and learn about it,

and try to tie it into any coursework that you do.



What has been surprising about your career since graduating from UD?


every bit of what I learned I was able to apply to every job I have had as well as

my role as stay-at-home mom/community volunteer



I think technology consulting was a good fit for me because it utilized my people

skills as well as my interests in the technology business



What a wonderful major and the timing was wonderful. I thoroughly loved the

work I did in the MIS/IT field.



What is surprising is that I've found that I get far more satisfaction from the technical

aspects of my work than the managerial. It took a quick rise to a director level position to get me to understand that a career (to me) is

not about money and power, it's about finding your passion and pursuing it to the

best of your ability. I love to solve problems...and technical problems are

satisfying because they usually have answers. Human problems, not so much.



The wide and growing variety of computing options (programming

languages, operating systems, hardware platforms) is something that I would not have expected back when I graduated in 1988. This is also something that I have liked the most because it offers such a wide range of options for developing

applications.



Surprised I am still doing MIS type of work. I did not think I would be an entrepreneur, but

I have worked with two small companies where I was part owner after leaving a large

successful company. Systems are always developing and changing. It is like a dynamic

puzzle. But if you think about what is and what you are trying to accomplish, then the analysis skills lead the way. This was started

for me in the MIS departmentWhat has been surprising about your career since graduating from UD?


The growth and opportunity was tremendous when I first came out of school. Being able to be involved so

much in many different aspects of how companies operate was great and

opened up many opportunities. Leading great IT teams, making bottom line

impacts and changing the ways that the companies that I have worked for do

business has been very rewarding.What has been surprising about your career since graduating from UD?


I am still surprised by how much leadership and authority I was given in

the spaces I worked right from day one. I was assumed the expert and I needed to act like one. One needs to lead and

take initiative and act like a leader - even in areas that may be outside of your control. Nothing is outside of your

sphere of influence. Think big.What has been surprising about your career since graduating from UD?


Actually, I have very much the career I envisioned including being deeply

involved in “meshing” the business / functional requirements with the

supporting technology and business processes.



I thought I was going to move into a highly technical security and or data

communication role, ultimately I ended up in product management, customer

facing, and sales roles. The most surprising is that I moved away from

accounting and finance while at UD and know I spend my day building software

for accounting and finance.



The biggest surprise/challenge was the everchanging technology and how that completely redefines the game every few years. I sort of knew that going in

but didn't realize how much that would change in just 15+ years.



how much I love what I do... that if you know what you're good at and exactly

what you want to do, and you tell people, then you will be able to do that. The key is to know what it is you're good

at and what you want to do :-)



I am continually challenged. I'm never allowed to get comfortable, always

working outside of my comfort zone to learn more, lead more, and do more to bring value to my company and client.



How much everything is still changing. I now work on a team that brings about website creative, 2D barcodes, in-game

advertising, mobile apps, etc.



the most surprising thing is that few people seem to understand the value of systems-based thinking. Although it's an MIS skill, it's totally applicable to other

situations and I'm a more valuable employee because I can apply it to any

situation.



What has been the influence of your UD MIS experience on your career or life

after graduation?


senior project - developed presentation skills, business attire, group interaction, problem-solving - all with a real-world

problem/system/business

What has been the influence of your UD MIS experience on your career or life after graduation?


I landed the job that was perfect for my personality. Being able to speak to the

business side without having your client get lost on tech speak is really an art.



My MIS degree and CPS minor afforded me much respect and an opportunity to start my

career as a system programmer at DP&L. I learned in MIS that I had to have good time

mangement and people skills, that being able to work under pressure is a necessary skill,

and that I could do anything I set my mind to.



* Business knowledge and ability to communicate was very important. * Fundamental base knowledge of

analyzing, designing, developing and implementing systems was critical.

* Presentation skills from Senior Project helped me tremendously in career.



Senior Project was a great experience ... like a trial run in the "real world" ...



being part of a team with people that we had personality issues with. Learning

to work with people in a professional manner even if you don't like them

personally. Stopping the project in the middle

because it doesn't make sense.



Real world experience both during senior project and by being prompted to

hold internships during the summers. Nothing beats real experience and it can

put you steps above your peers.


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What was your most memorable UD MIS experience?