Moderator: Welcome to Viewpoint with our guest, Dr. Larry Williams. Dr. Williams, thank you for joining us today. Please get us started by talking about some of the challenges information professionals face.

Dr. Larry Williams: Thanks for the opportunity to share what my IT students have taught me in our master's programs (I learn from my students in every course). The dominant attribute in the current IT "world" seems to be change. But it's not just technological change. It's changing human expectations and even the rules are changing. This promotes both opportunity and, to a large degree, confusion and uncertainty among the stakeholders. The relevant question is what is the appropriate response by those of us who are players -- maybe even victims.

Moderator: How do the programs you direct enable workers to deal with these challenges?

Dr. Larry Williams: The first task is to change the term "workers" to "learners." As long as I just "continue to work" my value to my organization is only the rate at which I work and the worth of my product. Sounds a lot like rowing in a slave galley, doesn't it? So let's start by doing at least two things: recognizing the need to acquire new skills and the absolute requirement to become life-long learners. The GW MIS program attempts to provide the requisite new knowledge to enable new skills and in an environment where learning is fun. In summary, this means new knowledge and a new attitude. We also have a non-degree side, but with the same objectives. It's a seminar series of from one to five days we call Creating Applied Systems Leadership or CASL. So in the degree program we attempt to enhance the capability and potential of our students through formal degree studies and through CASL we offer what we think is essential knowledge in a less formal environment.

Alexandria, Va.: I hear that there is still a large demand for IT professionals even though so many businesses are laying off a lot of their IT workforce. Are the jobs still there and is this a good or bad time to change one's career and go to school and get on the IT bandwagon?

Dr. Larry Williams: There will always be a need for IT professionals whether one is in a well-defined IT industry organization or in an organization that employs IT. We all have to set our sights on what we want to be. This is an individual decision. Yesterday, a young man in the neighborhood dropped off an invitation to his high school graduation. I asked him what comes next. His reply was that he planned to attend NOVA next fall and study "fire science." Of course, I knew the decision was based on the fact that his father is a professional fireman. Like you, I privately acknowledged that his future profession would probably change many times before he settled on a long-term profession. That's the same with us all. Our future rests on opportunity. The idea behind education is to equip us to capture opportunity. It's not an IT bandwagon; it's an IT presence full of wide and diverse opportunity.

Gaithersburg, Md.: I'm finding it extremely hard to get back to software development after a couple years of not coding. What's the best route, in your opinion, for me to seek a programming position now?

Dr. Larry Williams: The easy answer is to re-learn programming skills. There is a great shortage of programmers. I suggest that a better approach is to ask yourself if you want to be a programmer 10 years from now. If not, then widen your horizons starting right now with wider learning.

Fairfax, Va.: I have found that with most technology companies, including my own, the most common factor affecting the firms' performance is incompetent management. This is particularly acute in small, start-up firms.
Poor decision-making or a lack of decision-making results in missed opportunities and rapid shifts of strategy. The end result is a demoralized staff that lacks motivation and trust in management.
My question is: What's the best way for an IT professional to manage their career in this environment?

Dr. Larry Williams: The IT industry dwells far too much on technology and not enough on management. In my opinion, the challenge of mastering effective management is far more daunting than mastering technology. But few study management; we just do it and often poorly. Two suggestions: continue to make yourself as professionally competent as possible so as to maintain and enhance your personal marketability. Secondly, read/study everything you can about how effective managers operate. The long-range goal is to become an effective manager of technology, not just a technologist.

Falls Church, Va.: My current position at a large Web company requires an MBA. I'm the only manager at my level without one but I understand business and the technology and do the job as well as or better than my peers. Do you think not having an MBA or other master's degree will hurt me in the long run when I move to another company?

Dr. Larry Williams: For a change at the same level, no. But who wants to do that? The facts are these: our college degrees got us a job and usually in a field which we did not study in college. It was the required ticket. A master's degree is far different. A master's degree by defintion says that you are a professional. Think about it: a Master of Science in Information Systems Technology. How can you not consider yourself a professional? An MBA is similar. What I read behind your question is a more serious one: do I want to continue to learn (not get an MBA) or do I want to become professionally stronger through additional learning (get an MBA). This is a commitment question!

Midlothian, Va.: What advice can you offer someone who is in their late forties, worked in information systems, and desires to make a change as a business specialist to IT interested in Project Management? Consider the fact that I have enrolled in the IT Certificate Program at VCU and have completed three courses:
Systems Analysis and Design, Hardware and Software Architecture, and Visual Basics.

Dr. Larry Williams: Everything in industry, especially IT, is a project. Adept PMs and project team members are a valuable commodity. Learn all you can about both IT, if that is your desired field, and also about PM. At GW we offer a MS in PM and we offer a PM track in the MS in Info Sys Technology. In the MIS program I administer at Arlington one of the required courses is project management of information systems. Professionally, you might want to check out the Project Management Institute. Many local chapters (look on the Web).

McLean, Va.: I plan to continue my education with a master's degree. Would an MBA be better than a master's degree in computer science, MIS or engineering in making me more marketable, or vice versa?

Dr. Larry Williams: Obviously, this is my opinion so others may disagree. An MBA is great if you get it from a good school, not just one down the street. I take nothing away from the MBA; every business manager must learn the things that the MBA teaches such as finance, accounting, strategic planning and the like. All is essential knowledge. However, I believe that the MS in Information Systems technology with an MIS concentration is the more powerful and marketable degree. It puts you on top of both management skills and information skills. Recognize, however, that you still must acquire knowledge, maybe elsewhere in the classic business skills discussed above. Good luck...

Charlottesville, Va.: Hello Dr.Williams:
I began an MBA in Information Security program last fall and will complete it at the end of 2002. I was sold on this track by the administrator of the program, however, I am wondering about its strength. It appears that most Information Security open positions advertised are highly technical. This program is an MBA with a concentration in InfoSec Policy, privacy etc. It is not highly technical, nor do I at present have existing experience in the area.
What is your opinion on such a degree? It will give us enough understanding in Security to manage technical people and concentrate on policy and act as the liason between the techies and management. Is there indeed a need for such a person? Is this a good beginning for a possible Privacy chief?
Thank you.

Dr. Larry Williams: Many of my friends are earning good livings as experts in information systems security. It's a valid, permanent and probably growing field. Personally, unless you are in that niche in your organization and plan to stay there for a long time I believe that over-concentration in studies in specialized fields is constraining. I prefer to develop broader capabilities, better adapting me to capture the moment. A recent MS IST graduate told me that his new employer inferred more technical knowledge in his degree than had been in his curriculum. I asked him if that was uncomfortable. He said no! He was acquainted with many technologies from his studies, had mastered some and now found it easy to master others that were thrust before him. A major product of his studies, according to him, was breadth and confidence.

Fairfax, Va.: I read recently that MSCEs and other certified individuals can expect to make $10-15 per hour. Used to be that those types of positions were filled by people with college degrees and payed a lot more than $20-30k per year. What can I do to improve my marketability right now? I currently have a BS degree in Economics and have work experience in computer consulting. Should I try for an MBA or MS in Information Systems or would a doctorate in my original field be more marketable? Or maybe there are some other certifications besides MSCE that still increase value where pay scales aren't dropping so radically.

Dr. Larry Williams: Many questions here; all important. First, forget about a Ph.D. in anything unless you are prepared to devote the next 10 years to getting it and plan to teach or do research. There is no other reason to get a terminal degree. Period. Next, why not forget about working at hourly wages and devote yourself to acquiring the knowledge and skills to accept only salaried positions? That is a far more practical leap from your economics degree. About half of the students in my MS in IST degree program are making a transition from a non-IT field to becoming an IT professional. So your situation is very normal. Set you sights high, but in practical reference to say a five-year plan rather than a 20-year plan. Where do I want to be in five years and go for it! Good luck...

Washington, D.C.: We have a manager in our group who cannot adapt to change. I am an innovator, attend technical conferences and try to help my colleagues keep up to date. This manager has forbidden the group to upgrade the statistical software we use to the "newest" version. This person is still using DOS to print reports, and when I suggested we could put some voluminous reports into HTML I was asked "then how will they print them?" What can we do in this situation?

Dr. Larry Williams: Learning is an exciting thing! Graduate students get "turned on" to learning in their earlier courses just as I did in my first graduate course. The downside is that we also become frustrated at the "ceiling" imposed by non-supportive bosses. Your choices, I believe, include making yourself more marketable through continued learning in case you want to change jobs, or satisfy yourself with the occasional win with this same boss (assuming you win sometimes) or wait for the boss to change. Change happens, you know! My preference would be to actively seek new skills and knowledge to promote your own flexibility. Sounds like you will want to change sooner or later. By the way, a graduate class is a swell way to meet new friends with similar interests and who through networking frequently generate new opportunities.

Washington, D.C.: I currently work long hours and want to get a master's degree but I don't think I can do both. I'm considering taking time off to do this. Are any or many of your students in this situation, and if so, how do they deal with it? Do you accomodate them? Thank you.

Dr. Larry Williams: We have over 350 students enrolled in our program at any one time and they are virtually all working professionals. Everyone in your class will be much like you. The classes meet in the early evening. However, be prepared for the serious commitment graduate studies requires. I think that I can promise you that you will learn to sacrifice one-half to all of one of your Saturdays and Sundays every weekend to keep up with your studies. A final thought. When you pick a school, don't pick it because it's easy, easy to get into, cheap or convenient. These are all the wrong reasons! You will only get one master's degree proabably. Make it count! Good luck...

Adelphi, Md.: Dr. Williams,
How important do you consider an accredited degree (vs. not accredited degree) when searching for a job in the IT field?

Dr. Larry Williams: Your employer won't know the difference. You will, however. If an educational institution is not accredited it is because they are too famous to worry about it (I'm not sure if Harvard is accredited. The Sorbonne isn't, I'm told.) or because they can't meet the standards. Again, pick your school very carefully. You have lots of choices usually. The object is to learn as much as possible; not to get a degree. You boss will be impressed over the long term by your ability, not the degree on your resume.

Providence, R.I.: How can I convince an employer that the "just-in-time" training concept is not a good idea to use with IT Tech Support staff? Seems to me that if you arm your tech staff with training first you would increase a company's efficiency and profitability because you would have more productive and creative staff who could immediately create and implement effective technology solutions.

Dr. Larry Williams: I agree with you. JIT training is skills-related, not knowledge-related. It seems to me that the knowledgeable organization should be very interested in growing the knowledge/abilities of its staff. After all, its only strength is in its people, not the building or the equipment. I teach that leadership is essential in the modern organization. One kind of essential leadership is called the leader-teacher (from Peter Senge at MIT) who is "followed" by learners rather than just followers. Learners grow stronger en route. Followers arrive just as they started...

Arlington, Va: Considering your school competes for tech students from all over this region, how does an Information Systems degree from your business school compete with programs from local engineering schools (or nationally ranked schools such as Maryland)?
It would seem that businesses in this area are recruiting computer science students because of the discipline of engineering. Does a business student stand a chance in this economy? (Assumptions are that one is looking to work in a commercial enterprise).

Dr. Larry Williams: There is a place for computer scientists and a place for business skills. Neither is superior; they are just different. Some of us have the ability to become one but not the other. There is plenty of room for both. My MIS program is not a computer science program; we issue no tool kits for taking computers apart (go to the GW engineering school for that). I assure you that an MS IST degree is a powerful degree and fully in keeping with the needs of industry and government. Your best approach is to read the program requirements of your various interests and compare them with your interests and abilities. How does my program compete and compare? For starters, the GW MIS program is one of only two master's programs in the country to be certified by GSA as meeting the requirements of the CIO University as established by the federal CIO Council.

Washington, D.C. : I've been a software developer for the last four years, working with Microsoft technology on C/S and Web projects. Witnessing the growth of Java and the fact that Microsoft has been AWOL in that arena, are my skills with Microsoft tools becoming unmarketable? Should I begin to focus on Java tools and APIs exclusively? I know this is a big question, but I feel that I am a crossroad and I would like your perspective.

Dr. Larry Williams: I suggest that you enter a quality graduate program in IT and, over time, share thoughts on opportunities with your classmates and instructors. There is not just one path to success. The idea is make yourself professionally strong and enable yourself to seize the moment.

Dr. Larry Williams: My answers have probably raised more questions, but thank you all for participating in a conversation about my favorite subject, learning. Please check the links to our programs and seminars. Note that the MIS program has periodic information sessions at Arlington. Also, try out some learning at casl.gwu.edu. Good luck...LRW

Moderator: Our thanks to Dr. Larry Williams, The George Washington University and all who participated.