Are you interested in an information technology career but don’t have a computer science degree or technical background?
While some might think a typical career trajectory for an IT specialist or an IT manager involves receiving a bachelor’s degree in information technology or computer science and then starting in an entry-level IT position, there are other ways to break into this quickly evolving field.
According to CompTia, there are many career paths available for professionals with backgrounds such as the liberal arts. Many of the skills these individuals learned from their bachelor’s degree programs, such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication and leveraging creative instincts, are required by top IT jobs.
Some current students and alumni of the University of Wisconsin Master of Science: Information Technology Management program, found their niche in IT by applying the strengths they gained from non-technical bachelor’s degrees.
Siobhann Steindorf, who is currently working toward her master’s degree in IT Management, always had an affinity for technology. She received her bachelor’s degree in archaeology from UW-La Crosse, and while she loved her college experience, being an archaeologist just wasn’t right for her. So, she took a job working at a call center, eventually becoming a collection supervisor–and the only woman on her team. One day, her manager asked her why she wasn’t working in IT.
“Every time we’d get a new software, I would figure it out, and I’d become the subject matter expert. She said, ‘You need to be in IT. You’re so technical.’ I never saw that side of myself. She was an excellent mentor because I didn’t realize that I had that skill set.”
She ended up leaving the call center and became a data analyst at the Ho-Chunk Nation, where she was given opportunities to do programming alongside her analyst duties. At the time, she was learning how to write code by watching YouTube videos. Her husband asked why she wasn’t going to school, so she approached her boss at Ho-Chunk, who encouraged her to go back. Ho-Chunk’s support helped her earn her degree in software development.
“I’m forever grateful for the tribe too because I don’t think I’d be where I am today without having that opportunity to have worked there. I worked in their education department, and they let me build their website. It was an amazing opportunity for me.”
After she graduated, she left her job at Ho-Chunk and moved into IT.
“I worked for a wealth management company, and I got promoted quickly because the other manager left. They moved me into the manager position. I guess I really never did what I went to school for [programming] because when you’re a manager it encompasses all those kinds of things. And now I work at DuraTech, a local print manufacturer in La Crosse. I’m an IS [Information Security] team leader there.”
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Elizabeth Garfoot also found herself in IT after receiving a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UW-La Crosse. She began working for Trane Technologies, the same company she had interned for in project management during college. She took a job as an IT analyst, and realized she wanted to get a master’s degree.
“I had always been looking for an online tech-type program, just to have that certification that says ‘Hey, I work in IT,’” she says. She found ITM after searching online and chose it because of her connection to UW-La Crosse as an undergrad.
She started the program in 2020, taking one to two courses each semester–and Trane supported her with tuition reimbursement. When she first started at Trane, she was a project manager, but when she applied for a data analytics role she was told she didn’t have enough experience. However, when she took ITM715: Data Science, she discovered a whole new career path.
“Now, I’m a Tableau and Alteryx data developer (at Trane),” she says. “After I was able to go through the course in our program, it kind of gave me that background and information that I can speak to. It helped me find my fit in the technology space. It was great.”
Michael Poaletti, Director of Application Development at UW-Superior, has seen students without computer-related bachelor’s degrees excel in the IT Management program. Michael, who is currently working toward his master’s degree in IT Management, already had a master’s degree in military art and science from the US Army’s Command General Staff War College when he enrolled. Unlike Siobhann and Elizabeth, Michael had bachelor’s degrees in computer science and mathematics, but wanted to pursue a master’s degree so that he could eventually become a chief information officer.
Michael says students are able to understand and apply concepts information technology managers are working through every day. Michael encourages students without computer science backgrounds to apply because they will have many opportunities to excel in the program.
“Some of the labs in the enterprise security course, rather, are meant for people who are coming to this program without a computer science degree because they’ve never been exposed to some of these concepts we have in computer science,” he says. “And so, hey, go give this lab a try. Go see what this looks like. And they’re able to see some of the tools and stuff that we’re actually using in the real world.”
Are you interested in finding an IT role? Even if your bachelor’s degree isn’t in a technical field, UW Online Collaboratives can help you earn your master’s degree in Information Technology Management, setting you up for a variety of career paths.
If you don’t want to commit to the full degree program, consider enrolling in a graduate certificate: IT Leadership, Enterprise Infrastructure, and IT Operations. Upon completion of all three certificates plus a capstone, you will be awarded a master’s degree. Contact an enrollment adviser today at learn@uwex.wisconsin.edu.