IT Job Question (Milwaukee, Madison, Pewaukee: 2011, credit, job market)

[Wi_Girl]

I know I posted a question similiar to this a few months back but my question has somewhat changed. I've come to another decision crossroad in my college life. I currently am attending Strayer University for a degree in Information Systems with a major in Database Development. I do not have any experience in this field and wont finish my degree until Fall 2010. We plan to move to Wisconsin in Summer 2011, so I am very concerned about being able to find a job.

I have recently decided that I would really like to go into the medical field with an IT connection. Recently, I discovered an Associates Degree for Health Information Technology. This can be compeleted and then I could take the exam to become a Registered Health Information Technologist and get into medical coding, etc.

I would love to hear people's opinions to see what you think my best option would be in Wisconsin. If I go for an Associates Degree, I'd obivously have to but my bachelors degree on hold. And then I'd probably pursue the Health Information Management degree instead of the Information Systems degree. This is been racking my brain all week long and I see both good and bad points to staying with the Bachelors or Switching.

Thanks for reading! I'll take all the opinions I can get on this subject.

[MidwesternBookWorm]

I'm afraid that I can't comment on job prospects for that specific area of the IT world in Wisconsin, although it is certainly true that a number of Wisconsin cities have plenty of health care facilities, which would at least suggest that there'd be some need for RHIT staff. I'd start by checking into hospital's websites to see what they're hiring for. Pick the city you're interested in, find the city's website, get the names of the hospitals, and do a search.

One thing that I do want mention, though, is that switching to an Associate's degree now need not preclude you from pursuing a Bachelor's degree once you move and start work. If you conclude that you can more quickly get into the field you want, and move to the state where you want to live, by starting out with the Associate's, I'd say to go for it. There are certainly schools in Wisconsin where you could transfer your credits and finish the degree.

Our daughter finally figured out a year and a half ago that a high school diploma doesn't translate to much in the way of earning power, and she went back to school for a Bachelor's in IS Networking and Security at Herzing College in Madison. She really likes it, and they seem to tailor their schedules to people who need or want to work while they're going to school. It's also a fast program; classes run year-round, and if you go full-time, you can finish the Bachelor's program in three years. And interestingly enough, they also have a nursing program, so evidently the school has at least some familiarity with the medical field.

Herzing wouldn't be your only option by any means. There are the excellent UW system schools, of course, which offer a more traditional college approach, there are a number of private colleges in the state, and there are some that market specifically to older students who want to get or finish the degree they didn't complete when they were 22.

Wherever you go to school, whether in Virginia (I think that's where you are now?) or in Wisconsin, check to see what kind of an internship program they have. No matter whether you're going into IT, accounting, marketing, finance, or any area of business, you are going to be FAR, FAR more attractive on the job market if you have some internship experience.

I got my Bachelor's at age 48, after having started it 30 years earlier, and I got it from one of the colleges that's geared to working adults and has only evening and on-line classes. The college has absolutely no internship or job placement or job counseling services. I got my degree in the same field that I had worked in for 25 years, so had no problem finding a good position. Some of my classmates, however, with Bachelor's degrees in accounting, job-hunted unsuccessfully for over a year, winding up with extremely low-level, low-paying basic jobs that they hated, due to their lack of experience and no internships or career counseling from the school. Internships and job placement/counseling services are essential, and can take years off the time it'll take you to reach your career goals.

Good luck, WI_Girl. You're going to make it, you know; it takes determination and perseverance, but I can tell you've got those attributes. See you in Wisconsin soon!

[Wi_Girl]

Awwww thanks so much for the sweet comments! Yes I cant WAIT to be back home! LOL Just have to wait for my wonderful hubby to get his degree as well. Our job gives us tuition reimbursement, otherwise we'd probably be applying like crazy right now. He also wants to have his degree in hand when we move, so he has more visability and he will have a chance to gain some experience hopefully, since he will have his masters when we move and he was already guaranteed an IT job as soon as he gets his Bachelors degree in hand (at the company we currently work at).

I am also going to a school that is geared for working adults (Strayer U.) and they are located all over the East Coast. They go year round in quarters versus semesters so much people that go full time can get their bachelors degree in less than 4 years. Unfortunately, I have another 3 years to go since I work full time as well.

I have just started looking at hospitals in Wisconsin (Fox Cities right now) to see what they are hiring for, what their requirements are, etc. I have also applied with some local hospitals for regular IT jobs that do not require healthcare knowledgement but have not gotten any takers so far. I am going to keep trying though, all they can do is tell me no. However, I am really thinking this Associates Degree thing through. The only difference is that I would probably be able to get it in Fall 2009, one year earlier than my Bachelors degree in IS. I have heard the horror stories of people with IT degrees who cant find jobs because of all the outsourcing so that is also kind of scaring me a little bit. That is why I think with hospitals or anywhere in the medical field, job openings are going to be there. Especially with the big movement towards Electronic Medical Records.

I found a community college in Northern Va that has an online HIT Associate Degree. There is a local one but they only offer daytime classes which does not help me at all, especially with a full time job and family. I checked into Moraine Park College and the only bad thing is for their program in HIT, they would charge me out of state tuition! It was OUTRAGEOUS and even though my family still lives in WI, I dont think I'd be able to work it with getting the instate tuition. Either way, the NoVa college is a good school.

I feel sorry for your daughter learning the hard less (as did I) that a high school diploma just doesnt cut it anymore. It used to, but that ended just when I got out of school. I made the mistake of dropping out of school and I can guarantee that will NEVER happen again. I will keep trying until I graduate with something! I already switched from a Business Admin degree (Associates) to IT but now I want to specialize that a little more and of course that causes some more changing schools, etc. Hopefully this will be the last major school decision I make for a long time! Then again it took my husband 3 tries to figure out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life as well.

[adam76]

I am in the IT field and the job market is pretty strong here for good IT people. As far as specifically in the medical field, even in just the Milwaukee area there is lots of opportunity at medical giants such as Aurora Health care. Also don't forget that Pewaukee is the headquarters for GE Medical as well. Madison also has a booming tech sector, especially in bio-tech.

As far as the horror stories of outscourcing I feel that is way overblown. Sure some jobs are outsourced but anyone (at least in SE Wisconsin) who says they can't get an IT job because of outsourcing should look in the mirror. I still receive calls from placement agencies I applied at three years ago because they have trouble finding quality people.

I think you can get a job with only an Associates Degree but the jobs won't be as good, you'll definately be at the low end of the totum pole, doing the tasks that no one else wants to do. If you go with the Associates I would look at getting a job at a place that offers tuition assistance and going for your B.S. that way on the company dime no less I know several people who have gone this route in IT and you get the double whammy of having your tuition partially paid for AND already having mutliple years of experience once you do get your Bachelors.

[adam76]

One more thing, I would hesitate to corner yourself with a "Health Information Systems" degree... I'd go with the plain old IS / CompSci degree and get yourself a solid, well rounded tech foundation. I suppose it might put you to the top of the pile so to speak when applying someplace in the health care sector but you may get overlooked anywhere else. Given the giant database systems that are required to run any business in the health sector getting the Database Development focus would probably go far anyways.

It depends on what focus you want... do you want to be doing tech related stuff or are you more interesting in the administration and management of IT systems?