| What should you look for in IT schools? Start with | | | | relationships in large amounts of business data, which |
| these five criteria, based on 2006 IT education trend | | | | improves decision-making and efficiency. |
| predictions by the National Workforce Center for | | | | Seek out IT schools that offer BI coursework, such as |
| Emerging Technologies. | | | | Bellevue Community College (Bellevue, WA), which |
| Educational podcasting | | | | offers a business intelligence certificate and associate |
| Podcasting delivers audio content on demand. The | | | | degree program. In IT courses such as these, you'll |
| beauty of this emerging technology is that it allows you | | | | learn advanced techniques for managing and analyzing |
| to save content digitally and replay it at your | | | | data and gain understanding of how data |
| convenience, even when you're not online. | | | | management technology can be applied to solve |
| When you're researching IT schools, look for those | | | | business problems. |
| that offer podcasts so you can listen to lectures, | | | | Gaming applications |
| notes, and interviews wherever you go. Several | | | | Gaming encompasses game design, development, |
| well-known schools offer podcast series, including | | | | programming, testing, and production, as well as |
| Duke University and Stanford University. | | | | animation, digital art, advanced computer science, |
| Hybrid IT education | | | | modeling, and simulation. |
| Though many with IT degrees choose to work in IT | | | | Since a game-like style of interactivity is penetrating a |
| companies, there is a growing need for these | | | | variety of unrelated industries, gaming skills and |
| professionals in other disciplines. For instance, those | | | | knowledge are increasingly in demand for IT |
| with IT training are needed in the healthcare, | | | | professionals. Look for IT courses that use gaming as |
| government, insurance, and banking industries, to name | | | | an educational tool to teach subjects such as physics, |
| a few. | | | | math, chemistry, and biology. |
| Rather than viewing technology as an end in itself, you | | | | Market-driven programs |
| may need to focus more on the applications of IT and | | | | To be successful upon graduation, search for IT |
| develop cross-disciplinary knowledge. When you | | | | schools with programs that are responsive to your |
| consider how you might use your IT training in another | | | | local job market. IT degrees should earn you a |
| industry, you will become more marketable, opening up | | | | well-paying job, right? |
| your career to new and exciting options in a variety of | | | | Your school should be involved in strategic |
| fields. | | | | partnerships with local businesses that in turn shape its |
| Business intelligence coursework | | | | education offerings. Studying at IT schools that are |
| Simply put, business intelligence (BI) implies having a | | | | aware of current and future industry needs translates |
| comprehensive knowledge of all the factors that | | | | into better career prospects for you. |
| affect your business. BI tools allow you to see relevant | | | | |