Value of IT minor? (1 Viewer)

[MongMan]

About studying IT - Future UG - The University of Sydney

Combined with a B Sc major.

Would this offer any employment opportunity after the degree is finished?

 

[ssglain]

If you're interested in taking some IT subjects but not interested enough in a major, then a minor is definitely the way to go. You may in fact discover that you really enjoy it and decide to go with a major, like I did.

IT is the only area (that I can think of) which offers a minor because there is a substantial amount of IT used in almost every single scientific discipline. So having a minor to point out your additional IT skills to any employer will certainly add value when applying for a job related to one of your majors.

So what are you planning to major in B Sc?

 

[MongMan]

Thanks for the reply. Physics .

From the sample paths PDF, the "operating systems" minor interests me.

COMP2129 (Ops Systems & Mach Principals), INFO2315 (Intro to IT Security), COMP3520 (Operating Systems Internals).

 

[ssglain]

That sounds great! In 2nd year I did INFO2810 Database Systems 1 (Adv) and COMP2907 Algorithms (Adv) and they were both very interesting courses.

By the way, which first year subjects are you doing? INFO1903 Informatics (Adv) is the most interesting, well-taught and useful subject that I've done at uni so far. If you've put yourself down for INFO1003 or 1103 for whatever reason, seriously consider changing it.

 

[MongMan]

That sounds great! In 2nd year I did INFO2810 Database Systems 1 (Adv) and COMP2907 Algorithms (Adv) and they were both very interesting courses.

By the way, which first year subjects are you doing? INFO1903 Informatics (Adv) is the most interesting, well-taught and useful subject that I've done at uni so far. If you've put yourself down for INFO1003 or 1103 for whatever reason, seriously consider changing it.

My first year IT subjects are:
INFO1103 (1st sem)
INFO2315 (Intro to IT Security) (2nd sem)
and possibly ELEC1601 (Foundation of Computer Systems) (contemplating 2nd sem.. needed to be eligible for master of professional engineering or to transfer into B.E.E/B Sci)

That's interesting about INFO1903. According to the handbook it's mostly python - doesn't seem equivalent to INFO1103. Though I see what you mean when it comes to its usefulness with a physics degree.

 

[ssglain]

This is an evaluation survey that I filled out about INFO1903 a few months ago, if it helps:

Q1. Why did you choose to do INFO1903?
I chose to study IT in semester 1 of first year only because I needed to pick an elective. I still wanted to stay within the sciences so my options were physics, psychology or IT. Out of these three, IT interested me the most for two reasons: one, IT is EVERYWHERE so I wanted to learn more about the technology that I use so frequently in my daily life; two, the application of IT extends beyond computer science into almost every scientific (or non-scientific) discipline so I thought it will a useful skill for my future career in medicine as a doctor or a researcher.

The primary reason for choosing INFO1903 over INFO1003 and INFO1103 was actually because the other two caused more clashes in my timetable. I'm now very glad that I made this choice.


Q2. How useful has INFO1903 been to your future studies?
5 - Very useful


Q3. What do you think were the main benefits of doing INFO1903 in terms of your future studies?

• Well-grounded knowledge about useful information technologies:
  In this course, I learnt about a diverse set of technologies - include a programming language (Python), a database management system (MySQL), basic Unix/Linux utilities, web development tools (CGI, HTML, CSS), data analysis techniques in Excel and Visual Basic, and the most widely used typesetting language for scientists/engineers (LaTeX).
  
  The assignments gave me the chance to gain hands-on experience in making good use of the tools and techniques which I learnt in the course. All these technologies needed to be combined in developing an online search engine (with HTML/CSS for front-end, Python CGI for middleware and MySQL database for back-end) and then communicate my work in the form of a scientific report and presentation (prepared in LaTeX).
• Problem solving skills:
  Tutorial and assignment questions trained me to critically analyse a given problem, identify the components and tackle each of them using tools and techniques which I learnt in the course.
• Creative and independent thinking skills:
  The assignment to build an online search engine also gave me a choice of three seed ideas to create a useful extension to the basic system specification. It gave me the freedom to creatively design a component for the system. In doing so, I needed to independently identify a problem and come up with a solutions - this is a skill which no other course has tried to teach me as the assignments all had fixed specifications.
• Scientific writing and communication skills:
  As part of the course, I was required to write a report and prepare a presentation about the online search engine I built as if I was communicating my research findings. Scientific writing and communication skills are critical to my future studies and career so I was very happy that I got very early training from INFO1903.

Q4. Compared to other courses in your degree, how would you rate INFO1903?
5 - Excellent


Q5. Would you recommend INFO1903 to future students studying in your area?
Most definitely. IT skills are incredibly useful for any science student or medical student. I would strongly recommend INFO1903 because it taught me more than just IT skills - it also taught me all the invaluable skills I outlined in Q3. And most importantly, these skills were taught in the most engaging and motivating way by the lecturers James Curran and Tara Murphy.


Q6. Did INFO1903 influence (or confirm) your decision to study further IT?
5 - Yes, strongly


Q7. If you answered Yes to Q6, in what way did INFO1903 influence your decision?
INFO1903 showed me just how useful it is to have IT skills as both a science student and a medical student. I found the contents and the teaching of the course very fascinating and engaging so I was convinced to try another IT course (INFO1905) in semester 2 of first year. My result from INFO1903 (91 HD) also confirmed to me that I was good in this area and so it was worth pursuing further studies in IT.

To be honest, although the content of INFO1905 Data Structures (Adv) was also interesting, I found the teaching incredibly dull and the structure poorly planned. At that point I was inclined to stop studying IT after first year.
But during semester 2, I was also participating in a Talented Students Program research project in IT with James Curran and Tara Murphy. I put all the skills I learnt in INFO1903 towards a real research topic in natural language processing and machine learning. The project proved to me that the skills, tools and techniques I learnt in INFO1903 had true importance in scientific research.

Consequently, I continued studying IT in second year, with plans to complete an IT minor. In semester 1 of second year, I studied INFO2820 Database Systems 1 (Adv), which further extended the programming and database management skills I learnt in INFO1903.

Now as I am approaching the end of second year and having just pre-enrolled for third year, I am in fact planning to complete an IT major. I am even thinking about a joint IT-medicine honours - all thanks to the excellent experience I had in INFO1903.


Q8. Looking back, is there anything you would like to see added to the course?
I would like to see team work being addressed in the course becase it is such an important aspect of a scientific, medical or engineering career. In doing so, students can also learn about relevant skills and technologies that can help them manage a team software development project - such as the use of source control (e.g. SVN) and a progress/issue tracking system (e.g. trac).
However, realistically, I can see that it will be difficult to fit this additional content into an already incredibly packed course.


Q9. Looking back, is there anything you would like to see removed from the course?
Nothing at all. I have found a good use for every topic that taught to me in the course. Most applications of IT - whether to build a website, write software or to collect/analyse data for a research project - require the full set of tools and techniques taught in INFO1903.


Q10. Do you have any other comments about INFO1903?
Not really - apart from saying once again what a fantastic course INFO1903 was and how engaging and motivating the lecturers were.