Michael Poaletti, Director of Application Development at UW-Superior, is also a graduate student in the completely online Master of Science: Information Technology Management program through UW Online Collaboratives, giving him a chance to be an employee and a student at the same time.
“I’ll be honest, working at a university as a director, when I hear myself referred to as a student, it seems weird,” Michael says.
Michael already has a master’s degree, but felt he needed a different kind of training so that he could one day fulfill a larger leadership role in information technology.
“The master’s degree I have is from the US Army’s Command General Staff War College, which is an extremely highly accredited institution,” he says. “But it’s a master’s degree in military art and science. To fight and win the nation’s wars, we say, is a blend between art and science.”
Michael, who has bachelor’s degrees in computer science and mathematics, began researching computer science programs but felt that they fell short relative to the broader scope of understanding information technology. Then, he found the Master of Science in Information Technology offered through UW Online Collaboratives.
“The whole curriculum, I think it was really thought out well, put together well, and just best prepares people for those progressions,” he said. “People who want to become managers or directors, CTOs, CIOs would be better served by this curriculum than a traditional computer science curriculum because there’s things that they’re not teaching you that you’re expected to know and understand in those managerial positions.”
“In other words, if you go to get your master’s degree in computer science, that’s great if you want to stay a developer for the rest of your life. If you want to progress beyond writing software or writing operating systems, go the [Information Technology Management] route. I think taking courses on financing, managing budgets, data analytics, and enterprise security, better develops people for those top IT roles. Whereas, I’ve never heard someone from a master’s in computer science say, boy, this really prepared me to be a CIO.”
Michael’s five-year plan is to eventually replace his boss when he retires.
“So when I was interviewing for my current position, our current CIO said, well, what do you want to do next? The CIO, right? And he’s like, yeah. There you go. I want your job.”
“We don’t have any Fortune 500 companies [in Northern Wisconsin]. So I’m area-wise where I want to be, by my family and my daughters. I have a grandchild. There’s only three four-year institutions up here. And I’d rather stay at the one I’m at than go to a different place. And so in five years, it so happens that’s about the timeline he’s going to retire. So I hope to be his successor, which is why I figured I better start this program.”
Michael has already been able to apply concepts he’s learned in class to his job.
“At UW-Superior, we didn’t have a National Institute of Security and Technology (NIST) plan,” he says. “Well, as a result of this course, we now do. And so what that will do is inform our entire cybersecurity plan or security structure and what we need to do to improve it.”
Not every student in the program has a computer science degree, as it’s not an admissions requirement. Some students have degrees in business or engineering. But even without a computer science background, students are able to understand and apply concepts information technology managers are working through every day. Michael encourages students with those 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.”
When it comes to balancing class, work, and life, Michael says prospective students should be realistic in what they can handle.
“My advice to people is No. 1, don’t bite off more than you can chew or that you have time for,” he says. “But there’s also nothing wrong with enrolling in two classes and then dropping one in the first 10 days of the semester. I drive an hour to UW-Superior and an hour home every day. And I have time to take two classes moving forward. Over the summer, just take one.”
Michael, who earned his bachelor’s and graduate degrees in-person, thought the transition to online learning would be tough.
“I expected I would find it very challenging,” he says. “Because with in-person master’s degrees, you did all this reading the night before, you came to class prepared, and you had those discussions. And so I thought, well, ‘How is this going to work? I know what the adult learning model looks like. [With ITM] I don’t know what to expect.’ I thought it would be pretty lousy, to be honest. But it’s a lot better than what I thought because you can communicate with each other through email.”
Students get notifications when others comment on their work or engage in discussion, which he finds helpful. “It was actually better than what I thought it would be–a lot better.”
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Michael has engaged with several students in his classes and communicates with them through email and Microsoft Teams.
“So the [students] who I’ve felt like engaging with, I have, and others that I didn’t, just like in my real life. I think there’s people you gravitate toward or gravitate away from naturally based on your own personality.”
Though the interactivity component is different online compared with in-person instruction, it still works.
“We’ve connected and done virtual calls,” he adds. “It’s not the same as being there in person. But it’s what the world does today.”
Michael describes himself as a self-disciplined person who likes to get work done right away without procrastinating. He advises prospective students to set aside a time management protocol that works for them.
“I would say to review when assignments are due and start blocking off your calendar to meet those projects,” he says. “The NIST security plan I did was 48 pages long. If you wait until two weeks before the deadline, that’s not going to work. There’s no way you’re going to get through that.”
Michael does assignments after work, but reads on his lunch break in the office.
“You have to find additional time in your life to take these classes,” Michael notes.
“You’re not going to do these classes and have your normal free life. Those do not exist together. And then I would say, don’t worry about how long it takes you to complete the course. It’s not like a PhD where you’ve got to finish in five years. So if you need to take a semester off, go ahead. Do what works for you.”
He also says students should consider their far term futures.
“How much time do you want to commit to courses? I would say if you’re working full time, do not take three. I think that would be pretty tough. But two isn’t too challenging, though it depends on which ones. Some are more demanding than others, just like everything else. Some of the tougher ones are going to be Data Science and Finance for IT Managers. I would say take Finance for IT Managers after you take Data Science.”
He recommends talking to professors and reaching out to advisors for help.
“Work with your advisors. There are people here to support you and they love their job. Give them a chance to do their job and help you. They’re a resource. Use them.”
And if you don’t want to commit to the full degree program, Michael suggests taking one of the certificates available through the program. Currently, students can complete graduate certificates in IT Leadership, Enterprise Infrastructure, and IT Operations. Upon completion of all three certificates plus a capstone, students are awarded a master’s degree.
“Maybe you don’t want the whole master’s degree, but you want one of the certificates within the degree for your LinkedIn profile or a promotion. Well, this offers that. If you want the certificate in leadership, then this is a good place to get it. As an IT professional, all three of those certificates would be great. But then if you’re going to get all three of them, why not just do the final projects and get the actual degree? You still get the certificates. But you get the degree with it.”
By starting with one certificate, students can also find out if the program is right for them before making a larger commitment.
“I mean, you can kind of wade in, test the waters, so to speak. But then you could continue on toward that next certificate. And then consider the final project because it’s just doing a capstone prep and then a capstone project. So those are options for folks.”
Are you looking to make the leap into an IT career? Learn more about the 100 percent online UW Master of Science in IT Management by exploring the program’s curriculum or contacting an enrollment adviser. For more information, call 608-800-6762 or email learn@uwex.wisconsin.edu.