My old lecturer, Mr David Mason, told me that Management Information Systems (MIS) is a better career decision than Computer Science, because (paraphrased):
The technology advances so quickly that Engineers quickly become out of date. However Managers always need reports in order to improve performance. So they will always need Developers who can translate human requirements into machine language.
Note, he was referring to 4GL as opposed to 3GL. The promise of technology has always been that computers will one day be able to program themselves (third generation languages), thus making low-level software engineers redundant. But you would always need a higher-level interface between computers and the business, else the purpose for having the computer is lost.
I have no idea what the technology will look like in 20 years time. The hype has never matched the reality (Back to the Future part 2, anyone? We’re only 4 years away from 2015 and don’t have nuclear-fission, flying cars and hover-boards.)
I do know that my days with computers are numbered. They are a useful tool, bringing the world into my home via search. But when I retire from office work, I won’t miss them. They won’t miss me. In 20 years, I’ll be a happy grandfather: teaching Christ to heathens; sending missionary updates to my kids & home church via web; cataloguing Unreached People Groups who have yet to hear the Word of God; coordinating church field force survey data; assisting in the Completion of the Great Commission in preaching the Gospel to all the World; thus fulfilling the mandate of the Church; thus preparing the way for the Lord’s return; thus ending all suffering on the planet for all time.
That’s what I’m looking forward to.
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