Master's Dilemma
I hold a B.S. in finance and economics. I have been working in different areas of corporate finance for the past 1 1/2 years for a large telecommunications company. I will soon be taking a new position in the company in the area of financial systems. This will unequivocally expose me to topics that are foreign to me, as I will be creating systems in support of the finance community that I am currently a part of. I have no training whatsoever in this area. However, my soon to be manager is very supportive of me.


The reason that I have decided to make a 180-degree turn and try a new career is that I am very interested in learning something new. I have also thought of supplementing my foray into this field by pursuing an M.S. in a technical background. Should I do my M.S. in information systems or computer science? What is the difference between the two? What are the opportunities for me once I have completed my M.S.? While in the end, I want to be in management of information systems, I can't help but feel I need to understand the intricacies of them in order for me to do so. - Jai

Congratulations on your new move! Your finance background will serve you well because you will approach things from the user's point of view. You will have a much clearer understanding of exactly what your user requirements are than do most IS managers. To get up to speed quickly, I would first see if your company offers any internal courses on the financial systems they use. If not, find someone in your new organization who can help familiarize you with them. Try to avoid getting bogged down in too many details initially. Get the 'big picture' view first so you can begin to fill in the details as you go along.

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