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The advent of the World Wide Web brought a new kind of “democracy” where all information is created equal. No longer the sole province of experts and the traditional media, it has become viral, grassroots, and global. The sheer volume and lightening speed of information transfer has changed how the world communicates, educates, learns, and solves problems. Ten years ago, for example, the word “blog” didn’t exist in our language. And Google was a fledgling idea being kicked around by two Stanford University students. Ten years from now, who knows what the next information trend will be? We do know one thing: as the Web and its related technologies evolve, users will need help managing them.
Graduate study in computing that only focuses on one technology is not flexible enough to meet the needs of the real world. New hardware and software tools are continually introduced into the market. Computing systems can become outmoded in a matter of months, not years. Most users today replace their computers and peripherals every three years (unless you're a hardcore gamer, then the average replacement cycle is six months!) It is a cliché, but like all cliches, fundamentally true: in technology, the only constant is change.
Certainly, IT professionals must be able to hone in on specific areas of expertise, but more importantly, they must also be technological shapeshifters. They must be ready to adapt to the next new thing--or just as often, retrofit available technologies to help users adapt to the latest trends. However, unless they have encyclopedic knowledge and the powers of a superhero, no one person can keep up with all of the “new and improved” products being introduced into the marketplace. Instead, they must have a deep understanding of underlying technological principles, a foundation of knowledge that transcends the latest flavor of the month.
As the users' addvocates, IT professionals need the critical thinking skills to problem-solve in a wide variety of computing situations. Just knowing how technology works is no longer enough. They need to know how to make it work, or, as one of our students once said, to “bend technology to the user's needs” - and not the other way around. This ability to apply key concepts to a broad range of technologies is the signature philosophy of our MS in Information Technology.
