Technology Major

[annetoin]

I have been on the IT side of business for most of my working life basically as more of a business analyst relying on IT teams to do the work. I now want to really take the plunge and learn about all the facets of technology. I have always loved IT but have shied away from earning a degree in technology because I am bad at math and so many programs are math intensive. I have the ability to learn about different technologies and how they apply in today's business world fairly easily, but I would rather chew glass than sit and do calculus for hours. I want to attend grad school but am unsure of what programs to explore as so many are math intensive. I currently have a B.S in business administration. Is there any hope?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[materialsgirl]

Have you considered getting tutoring for math? I wouldn't let one difficult subject keep you away from earning a valuable degree that could really help your career. I think everyone has one subject that gives them a hard time - you just keep working at it, and it does get better. I'm an engineer, so math was definitely one of my strong suits in college... but anything having to do with electricity/circuits/etc gave me heartburn and a headache. Unfortunately, I had several classes dealing with this subject, so I just had to make the best of them, and get help when I needed it. And, when all was said and done, I graduated at the TOP of my class (which was somewhat of a surprise to me when I found out). So to answer your question "Is there any hope?" YES! There is hope.

I know it probably doesn't mean much coming from an engineer, but calculus really isn't that bad. Once you know the rules, it's pretty much just about following the steps.

 

[Rose11]

I agree with Emily. I actually learned math in college because in high school I was always scared of math. Not only did I change majors from pre-med to computer science, but I went back and now I'm getting a second degree in mathematics (I'm pretty much done in a couple of weeks) and I'm going to grad school to get a masters in engineering. It can be done, but you just need to be more exposed to numbers and everything that has to do with them. When you see those over and over again they become a part of you (I always do the math in my head when I go shopping, at work, with friends, I just love to do that). You'd be surprised if you see all the fun math and computer science courses I've taken. Calculus 3 rocked my world, when I saw mathematics in 3D I was amazed. Graph theory is another tough, but fun subject. I looooved differential equations, linear algebra, compilers, assembly, etc. Of course there are some courses I hated like abstract algebra, applied algebra, theory of computation, and algorithms, but you can't expect to love every single course you take. There are lots of grants for women that study math, computer science, and engineering, especially if you want to go to graduate school because few women decide to study these subjects. I think that if you study math on your own with a bunch of good books and maybe get tutoring, you can start to see that math is not as bad as you thought. Sometimes when we are under pressure we can't see that things are actually fun to learn and when we learn them on our own we start to realize that they were not that hard to begin with.

 

[Gayle]

Check around at some more schools, because you might find some that aren't so math intensive. I know the tech program at the school I work at follows more of a business-centric track. I'm sure there are others out there as well.

Your post made me giggle because when I was a student getting into a technology program in college, I chose one with a math intensive track because I absolutely hated writing. LOL!

HTH

 

[annetoin]

Thanks everyone. I think it best to explore a business centric track. I am currently taking a statistics class on my own and have hired a tutor to assist. I would rather write a 50 page paper than do math...ugh!!

 

[Tess_ATL]

Anntoin, I know how you feel. I majored in Accounting and almost decided against this career path because I would have to take calculus. I was never really BAD at math, I just hated doing the homework problems. As much as I dreaded the class, I got through it. I think 90% of it is getting a good professor who explains things well. Statistics was another one I dreaded. Just as an example to prove my point about the teachers, I took this class the first time around and got an F. I studies so hard and seriously worked, but the tests were so difficult and I couldn't understand it!! Luckily my school had a grade forgiveness policy, so I took it again with a different professor and ended up with an A and actually learned something. Just goes to show you the problem was NOT me but the teacher. If you can get a good one, you'll do fine in math.

 

[LadyUnix]

I agree what others say about math.
learning calculus is actually different than learning 'math' to my mind, as long as you have a grasp of the algebra involved. The theory is just fascinating to me...and if you understand the concepts (the fun part), and have the algebra skills...it's nothing but fun and games, and is actually very easy.

As I recall, from back in the day, all that was required for a comp sci major at Rutgers, where I went, was 2 semesters of calculus and 2 semesters of discrete structures...which is, essentially, a logic course. Look into the programs you are considering. IT is actually suprisingly easy to get through 2 semesters of calculus; I have seen lots of people short on math skills do it.

As far as taking the plunge into IT...working in the industry, and having family members who work/have worked in several aspects of it...ask yourself if you are willing to put in the long hours and the off-hours work necessary, ask yourself if think being on-call and tied to a pager is something you can work with. As yourself, depending on the field you get into, if 24 hour work days are ok with you. I'm on the support side, as a sys admin, so I get to fix broken things and work a lot of off-hours, late into the night, overnight, and on weekends when we have scheduled maintenance. Developers also have to work long hours to meet deadlines, then have to implement on weekends. On an app team? You also get to live with the off-hours maintenance windows.

IT by itself can be lots of fun and fascinating, but the reality of working in it...can be a very different story. Most people I work with, when questioned, say although they enjoy aspects of the work, they would choose another path if they could go back and do it again.

I don't mean to discourage you... just talk to as many people on the IT side and get their perspectives, and be cognizant of what you are getting into.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Tracey M]

>Thanks everyone. I think it best to explore a business
>centric track.

Have you considered MIS/BIS (Management Information Systems or Business Information Systems)? MIS was my major and it gave me the perfect mix of business and IT skills. I knew after my 1st programming class that I'd rather jump off a building than search for the missing semi-colon that is blowing up my program. MIS gave me the technical skills to effectively work with programmers without me having to actually write code. I think it's a good compromise between the two. Oh and the highest math class I had to take was calculus I (which was surprisingly easier than my high school math classes...better teacher!)