When I Passed My Graduation in Engineering in Information Technology in 2004, I Felt I

When I passed my graduation in engineering in Information Technology in 2004, I felt I had the world at my feet. Fresh out of college, I felt like I was the most IT savvy person amongst my friends and peers. I got an enviable job in the IT Dept of a government and later other private firms. But over time I could feel my IT knowledge edge eroding with daily amelioration of old technology and introduction of new ones.

Before my very eyes I saw the bulky old mobile sets that were so popular in early 2000s vanishing into oblivion and yielding space to the sleek and smart i-Phone, the desktop-mouse package replaced with touch sensitive all-in-one monitors, and last but not the least the mother of all changes; you said adios to bulky laptops, and say hello to cloud computing courtesy the TABLET. An English word that meant medicine since ages now meant your doorway to cyber realm. Innovation really was moving at the speed of thought. If the IT field was coming up with daily shocks and surprises the management sector was not far behind either.

Imagine the shock I had in my office when the old school management concepts of slogging hours in the office were slowly replaced with work from home via remote log-ins. The concept of daily 10 to 5 grind thrown out of the window for flexi work timings, the expression “Quality Time” changing its own definition head-over from meaning productive hours in office to the time spent with one’s own family. And the startling fact is that all this happened within one decade starting from the dawn of the current millennia in 2000.

While appearing for job interviews in IT Industries, I learnt the hard way that unless I kept myself abreast of the latest developments of technology I would fall behind and soon be outdated in my professional field. Furthering the education seemed the only logical solution to bridge this ever growing gap. On one hand I wanted to be a Manager but on the other I loved Information Technology too much to give her up totally and join the traditional MBA grad cadre. I wanted to study something that had the mind of a Manager and heart of an Information Systems specialist. I felt that something inside me urging me that it is the right time to restart my education and complete my doctoral studies.

It was only then that I took the decision to undertake a plunge towards furthering my education up to Doctoral level in Management Information Systems, which in my understanding combines the best of both worlds; IT and Management.

I am an engineer by profession but a data juggler by passion. I love playing around with data, love to discover hidden trends & patterns and love to do all those things with data sets that others find boring and monotonous. My present job assignment in Phillips Carbon Black Limited assigns me with preparation and presentation of daily production related MIS to the higher management. I have learnt a lot in my previous and present capacities. My job assignment entitles me to collect production related data from various sources, but mainly from the Production Planning Reports of SAP, analyze them, point out loopholes in the production process and suggest improvement methods to my higher management.

I have done my part of thorough researching for selecting universities offering PhD in MIS in all of US. All the MIS programs in all universities were quite attractive, and yet the program offered in your university stood tall amongst equals. The reasons for choosing the aforesaid program in your university in particular would definitely include; the comprehensive and precise nature of the syllabi that completely aligns with the needs of today’s Information Age. I specially found the ISQS 5330: Decision Theory and Business Analytics and ISQS 5331: Information Technology for Managers courses especially interesting. While the former course provides an overview of business analytics that drives managerial decision-making, the latter examines how to utilize current developments in information technology to gain competitive advantage. These courses not only have a snug fit with my current job responsibilities as mentioned before but also have the building blocks of my aspired career as a Data Scientist.

Secondly I would like to join industries dealing with on Big Data once I complete my PhD. A doctoral degree in MIS would definitely open up many doorways in many industries dealing and specializing in Big Data.

And last but not the least I must confess that I am a city rat through and through. I am not very comfortable in leafy campuses or surroundings. The University campuses’ location in the heart of Lubbock was an option too good for me to overlook.

Thus in a nutshell the three factors of Curricula, Career and Civic life were the main reasons behind my decision to apply for Rawls Business School. And before I say Hasta la vista I must add that I firmly believe in the game changing power of Information Technology in today’s Information Age. Furthering an old adage, I believe that information is mightier than the sword. These courses coupled with generous grants from your university will not help me in sharpening my professional edge but also uniquely position me in realizing my aspiration of a career in Management Information Systems.