Spring 2021 was the semester that I officially switched majors from computer science to pre-business. Now, it’s Spring 2022 and I have officially started my journey as a Management Information Systems major after getting accepted into Schidler. I have also finished my computer science minor in the last semester. So far, the transition has not been too bad on me. The classes have not been too difficult, with the exception of ACC 210. Hopefully, ITM 352 treats me well. From what I’ve seen, this class is structured very similarly to my ICS 314 course with Philip Johnson. The workload is also very similar. However, it has been a full year since I have taken that course so hopefully I’m not too rusty.
My friends in CS have always asked me why I switched from comp sci to MIS. My answer is always along the lines of my mental health and stressing over the courses. As an incoming freshman 2 years ago, I knew that computer science would be a very difficult major. However, even with that mindset, I was not prepared enough as the semesters dragged on. A common trend for a majority of the ICS teachers is the idea of individual work and self studying. As a freshman coming out of highschool, self-studying was not really a habit I built up since most of the learning was done in the classrooms only with the occasional studying for exams. Once I was taking ICS courses, I would have to self study and learn concepts on my own since there was not enough time present in lectures. Over time, this took a huge toll on my mental health and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold out.
In the middle of my Fall 2021 semester, my sister recommended that I major in management information systems instead of comp sci since I was stressing a lot about my future. I researched the major and talked to advisors and I began to see that this major was more suited for me. In highschool, I wanted to work in a business as the “tech guy” for a company as my goal. I also wanted to be able to help people work on their digital literacy after learning about the digital divide in a previous class. As an MIS major, I would be able to learn important business skills while also learning important technology information as well. It was like a dream come true to me. I realized that transitioning to the other major wouldn’t set me back too far as well. I saw that I could still graduate on time since most of my ICS credits can count towards the business electives in my pathway. Seeing this opportunity, I decided to apply to Shidler and now I’m here in ITM 352.
Currently, my goal right now is to obviously get good grades this semester. I also want to look into internships and clubs/organizations at UH. My sister was in ITMA and suggested that club to me, so hopefully I can join sometime soon. After this semester, if I can’t find an internship, I hope to at least find another job that could help me in the future. Right now I am an ITS lab monitor at UH and I’ve been working here for half a year now. I’ve acquired a lot of skills from trainings and working but now I want to try to move into a bigger position. I have learned a lot since applying for this job (especially in software engineering) and I would like to see if I could try to expand on those skills. After my senior year, I will be looking towards getting a masters in MIS. By the time I leave UH, I hope that I will be able to land a well-paying job with the skills I learned.