Sophie Nguyen, At the Intersection of Tech & Business
When I first came to Santa Clara University, I spent most of my fall quarter jumping between majors. Intending to be an economics major when I arrived, I jumped to marketing, considered a French minor, contemplated a Computer Science minor, and added an Art minor. Finally, I arrived at the degree I am graduating with: Management Information Systems (MIS), with a minor in Studio Art. For those unfamiliar, the MIS major sits at the intersection of technology and business, employing different coding languages to solve business problems and understanding the management implications of tech projects.
As someone who didn’t take any coding classes in high school, I decided that college was my time to explore the tech field. I took Introduction to Computer Science winter of my freshman year, and I immediately loved the change of pace. I learned to think about problems systematically, embrace trial and error, and feel the satisfaction of successful code. I soon learned that I could employ these skills within the business school through the MIS major, and since then, I’ve been able to expand my technical passion while continuing to pursue my interests in business.
Now that I’m a quarter away from graduating (time really flies!), I look back and realize that many of my favorite classes at SCU were major-related classes. Out of the 7 major requirements, my favorite class was Database Management Systems (OMIS 105) with Professor Zimbra. Not only did Professor Zimbra explain complex topics successfully and thoroughly, the class challenged us to work on projects that would address both tech and business. For my final project, I completed a business plan along with accompanying database documentation for a holistic view of a potential business. I thought critically about the user experience, coded the backend database systems, and compiled all of my work in a gratifying report. Classes like OMIS 105 explore the connection between business and other disciplines, which are helpful to resume building as I apply for post-graduation jobs.