The eureka moment that led to my MSIS

You’re an out-of-state student. Why in the world would you spend another year and more money to earn a master’s degree? Can’t it wait a few years?

Several family members and friends pebbled these questions at me when I decided to pursue a master’s degree in Information Science. Instead of rebutting with my school’s top rankings, I detailed my rationale and future value for this degree. My tale began with a “light bulb” moment during my summer internship.

While interning, I became well aware of a common problem. Key business decision-makers relied heavily on technology without fully understanding the constraints. Much of the discussion in meetings focused on clarifying the technology’s capabilities. What I discovered was not an issue with functionality, but in how users perceived the technologies available to them.

The business managers understood the technology to do far more than its capacity, leaving the firm exposed to possible internal and external risks. I knew then that the firm needed a person to understand both the business objectives and articulate the technology competence and value.

I wanted to be that person. The person management would consult before deciding the strategic direction for the firm.

Kelley’s MSIS program prepares students with the ability to bridge the gap between business and technology. It was a natural fit with my career goal. The program would equip me with the technical and analytical skills required to solve the problem at hand.

I couldn’t wait on that.