Management Information Systems, or MIS for short, is one of the fastest-growing, most rewarding, and most lucrative fields of study out there today. There are dozens of great career options for MIS majors. By 2018, the field is expected to have at least 300,000 new jobs available.
The money is good, too. In fact, jobs in that field ranked 15th out of 114 occupations in terms of both starting and mid-career salary in a recent study. Here are 15 of the top career options for MIS majors, with a little bit about what you can expect from each of them.
1. Network and Computer Systems Administrator
These are the folks who put together computer networks, and keep them running once they’re up. They make a killing doing so – their median income is $74K.
2. Computer Systems Analyst
After the administrators have done their thing, it takes a computer systems analyst to come in and make things faster and more efficient. There will be more of these than ever – expect a 25% increase in their number by 2022 as compared to the decade before.
3. Computer and Information Systems Manager
These are the guys who earn the big bucks – a median $120K – for consulting with companies, deciding what technology upgrades they need, and even dealing with the vendors to make it happen.
4. Business Analyst
This is similar to the job listed above, except that it has the added bonus of understanding the company’s entire business model. The person in this role frequently serves as a go-between with various important people in the organization. If you’re curious to know more, check out their official organization.
5. QA Analyst
Another entry in our list of career options for MIS majors that ends in the word “analyst”! A QA (“quality assurance”) analyst makes sure that software solutions work like they’re supposed to.
6. Office Automation Analyst
If you’re dying to help ship jobs overseas, this may be the role for you. With this job, you analyze and recommend equipment to help automate jobs previously done by people. You can expect to earn about $58K, which is much less than the salaries of the people you’ll help replace with robots.
7. Computer Programmer Analyst
As the name implies, this job helps computer programmers keep everything together. You set up the order of the project, get the necessary databases together, and otherwise oversee big programming efforts.
8. Computer Support Specialist
If you’re good at fixing computers and don’t mind dealing with people, this is the job for you. You’ll make day-to-day repairs, and consult with both workers and management about upgrades and system changes.
9. Software Engineer
This is perhaps the most creative job of the bunch. In it, you’ll get to design and implement software solutions – and earn $90K for doing so.
10. Data Network Security Administrator
If you want to keep a workplace safe from harm, this is the way to go. Help ensure that your business remains hacker-free with this gig, and earn a salary 23% above the national average for all jobs.
11. Project Manager
As you might expect, project managers are the people in charge of…um…projects. In addition to being the big man or woman on the totem pole, you can earn between $40 and $50 an hour.
12. Web Developer
If you like making websites, it only makes sense to get paid for it! It can be a fun job – just as long as you’re not in the 25% of developers who have no benefits.
13. Technical Consultant
If you’re a detail-oriented person, this is the gig for you. It’s your responsibility to find bugs in computer code and provide documentation of what the programmers are actually doing.
14. Interface Designer
This is one of the most important jobs of all. It’s your responsibility to make sure that all of the stuff designed by the tech-savvy folks is actually usable by people who think Java is only a type of coffee.
15. Revenue Management Analyst
If cash rules everything around you (shout out to Wu-Tang), you should take this job. It’ll be on you to look at a company’s finances, help them manage their money, and to find ways to make more. And at an average salary of around $52K, you won’t be taking much out of their bottom line by doing so.