Why You Should Add a Minor in Tech Before You Graduate
The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report explains that the adoption of new technologies will continue to drive the evolution of business over the next five years. 85% of the organizations involved in their study shared that they’ve witnessed “frontier technologies” as major causes of change in their organizations.
The largest technology adoption trends are rooted in increased use of big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI).
Given Artificial Intelligence's predicted influence on jobs, we believe students should consider pursuing a minor in a tech field and research how technology and digital literacy are being integrated into the fields you are interested in pursuing. Being aware of how technology will be used in various industries across the board can help you choose a minor that will be beneficial to you.
Here are three information technology minors to consider as you prepare yourself for your career.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing refers to the use of the internet rather than physical servers to access software and data storage. Think Google Docs and Dropbox! The cloud computing skills that you can learn through a minor or certificate program can include: programming languages, information security, and DevOps "development and operations."
Computer Science
Break Through Tech explains that a computer science minor isn't just about coding, databases, software and hardware, it is about problem solving and knowing how to find or create the best tool for the job. They explain that by having a computer science minor, you can be the candidate that understands how technology can be used in any line of work, from musical production to genetics. Having the lens of computer science will allow you to see where computer programming overlaps with problems we encounter in everyday life. Computer Science can be applied to any domain.
Data Science
IBM defines data science as combining "math and statistics, specialized programming, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning with specific subject matter expertise to uncover actionable insights hidden in an organization's data." Some industries that use data science include: artificial intelligence, biotechnology, finance, health care, insurance, law enforcement, logistics, marketing and advertising, sports and clean energy. Through a partnership with Stats Perform, Morehouse's AI in Basketball Course will expose students to the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and how AI can be used in sports.