It might be better to describe why I didn't finish my degree in Computer Science or in Biology. Sure, there are good reasons - like poor scholarship - but the real reason is that these programs failed to really keep my interest. See, I was an undergraduate in the early 90's, before iSchools existed. There was no program that really helped to bridge the gap between disciplines.
There were the departments of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, MIS and Communications. Compsci and Comp Eng were too rooted in the low-level architecture for me and I wasn't really interested in databases design, either. I was more interested in the APPLICATION of operating systems and databases and other topics for use by real people with real problems to solve. MIS and Communications were too soft - too tied to business and not tied down to enough of a real problem to solve. They were too abstract in their own ways. I wanted to do SOME ONE THING - not ANYTHING. I needed focus.
So, I went out into the world - without finishing my undergraduate degree. I went out to do something - and apply technology for people. A few years later - Penn State started IST. I eventually returned and finished my undergraduate degree in this program and really enjoyed the interdisciplinary opportunities. More importantly, it is the application of these technologies to solve real problems in other disciplines that makes IST interesting.
I did look at other iSchools - not for me - for my brother, actually - because for me the question was more about locality than it was about anything else. However, I did look. I was amazed to find the vast variety of programs. Each iSchool has a different flavor. Many are born out of their roots in Library Information Systems. While I'm sure that this excites some people - my passions are not in the classification and retrieval problems that these researchers focus on. Using the I-T-P Model, I'm more on the T-P side of the triangle. My interests are in how people use the technology to get their jobs done and how the technology forces them to do their work.
So, other iSchools have different focuses. Many other programs have a strong computer science background and connection. This focus on the technology is different than just straight computer science. The implication of how the technology affects the people is paramount. There are even schools that are tied strictly on the societal impacts like CMU's public policy focus. However, few programs are as integrated into the social sciences as much as Penn State's College of IST. Sure, they all have a psychology and sociology background somewhere, but this is where Penn State shines above the rest.
In my last 15 years of being a practicing IT professional, I often have joked about the psychology of computers. I'm convinced that there is a relationship between the full moon and computer problems. However, I am not sure whether the full moon's gravitational pull affects the electrons in the silicon of the chips or whether the full moon affects the users and makes them do dumb things with their computers. I also usually reference the OSI data model's unpublished Layer 8 when referring to an error that occurs between the keyboard and the chair.
So, why did I choose an iSchool? Why did the iSchool choose me? The truth is that the iSchool is my home, the one that didn't exist when I went to school the first time. It's the program I needed and wanted and I'm so glad it's here.
There were the departments of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, MIS and Communications. Compsci and Comp Eng were too rooted in the low-level architecture for me and I wasn't really interested in databases design, either. I was more interested in the APPLICATION of operating systems and databases and other topics for use by real people with real problems to solve. MIS and Communications were too soft - too tied to business and not tied down to enough of a real problem to solve. They were too abstract in their own ways. I wanted to do SOME ONE THING - not ANYTHING. I needed focus.
So, I went out into the world - without finishing my undergraduate degree. I went out to do something - and apply technology for people. A few years later - Penn State started IST. I eventually returned and finished my undergraduate degree in this program and really enjoyed the interdisciplinary opportunities. More importantly, it is the application of these technologies to solve real problems in other disciplines that makes IST interesting.
I did look at other iSchools - not for me - for my brother, actually - because for me the question was more about locality than it was about anything else. However, I did look. I was amazed to find the vast variety of programs. Each iSchool has a different flavor. Many are born out of their roots in Library Information Systems. While I'm sure that this excites some people - my passions are not in the classification and retrieval problems that these researchers focus on. Using the I-T-P Model, I'm more on the T-P side of the triangle. My interests are in how people use the technology to get their jobs done and how the technology forces them to do their work.
So, other iSchools have different focuses. Many other programs have a strong computer science background and connection. This focus on the technology is different than just straight computer science. The implication of how the technology affects the people is paramount. There are even schools that are tied strictly on the societal impacts like CMU's public policy focus. However, few programs are as integrated into the social sciences as much as Penn State's College of IST. Sure, they all have a psychology and sociology background somewhere, but this is where Penn State shines above the rest.
In my last 15 years of being a practicing IT professional, I often have joked about the psychology of computers. I'm convinced that there is a relationship between the full moon and computer problems. However, I am not sure whether the full moon's gravitational pull affects the electrons in the silicon of the chips or whether the full moon affects the users and makes them do dumb things with their computers. I also usually reference the OSI data model's unpublished Layer 8 when referring to an error that occurs between the keyboard and the chair.
So, why did I choose an iSchool? Why did the iSchool choose me? The truth is that the iSchool is my home, the one that didn't exist when I went to school the first time. It's the program I needed and wanted and I'm so glad it's here.
Quiet interesting journey of finding your your academic match! If IST was never created, would you have considered other alternatives?