After taking classes on computer science in high school, Nathan Nye knew he wanted to pursue a college degree that incorporated business with computers. At the start of his college career here at UConn, Nathan visited HuskyTech for an issue with his computer, where he learned of the Management Information Systems (MIS) major.

For Nathan, he is intrigued by information technology because it is constantly changing and evolving. He said he is always learning something new in this field because the constant change forces him to keep up with new technologies and challenges.

“There are so many different ways to go about solving a problem with technology so it allows you to be creative in finding a solution,” Nathan said.

Nathan said that the UConn School of Business does a great job at allowing students to individualize their plans of study to reflect their personal interests, along with the business curriculum. He said that he enjoyed being able to take a variety of music and computer science courses because of his interests in audio and programming.

As a senior, Nathan has acquired a variety of internship experiences over the course of his time here at UConn. But unlike many MIS majors, Nathan’s internships have been primarily with small companies or startups.

Nathan said he believes that working for smaller companies was extremely beneficial for him, personally. He said that smaller companies can generally adapt to new technologies and change direction quicker. He liked the small business environment because it allowed him to work with cutting edge technologies and a diverse set of tasks each day.

In his most recent internship experience at COCC, Nathan worked on website configuration for various financial institutions.

“It was cool being able to say I worked on anything from configuration changes to sites where millions of dollars are transacted daily to helping potential clients with branding and design,” Nathan said.

Nathan encourages all current MIS students to obtain internship experiences over the course of their college careers. He said that work outside of the classroom allows for building a diverse skill set.

“Think about something you really enjoy doing and think about the skills you would need to run that as a business by yourself,” he said.

A piece of advice Nathan offered from his own experience when looking for internships is to ask about the possibility of working remote. COCC allowed Nathan to continue his summer internship during the school year because the company had the capabilities to enable him to work from anywhere, he said. Continuing this internship through the school year has been even more beneficial for him because it allowed him to work on even larger tasks because he was already acclimated with the company, he said.

After graduation, Nathan hopes to dive deeper into programming for web-based applications. Nathan said that he and his brother are planning to start their own audio company to build synthesizers in the form of guitar pedals to simplify performances for drone musicians.

“I like the idea of being self sufficient and being able to create your own job after graduating,” Nathan said.

He said he is currently learning to program in PureData.  His goal is to implement PureData patching to his company’s devices in order to create highly complex sonic textures.

“My ultimate goal in the field is to be able to say that I used computers and technology to build something that truly helped someone,” Nathan said.

UConn senior, Katie Cavanaugh is pursuing a dual degree in Management Information Systems (MIS) and Political Science. Although, when she began her college career, she only had one major: Political Science. It was through her work in social science research that Katie discovered her interest in information systems.

“At the time, I had no technical knowledge of how any of this worked: I was essentially just following directions with little ability to understand why a result was the way it was. I became interested in learning more about the ‘why,'” Katie said.

In her research, Katie worked extensively using databases, performing data management and cleaning functions, and conducting data analysis. Because of this, Katie said she was intrigued to learn more about technology, particularly in data management and analytics, and she saw the MIS major as the perfect way to do so.

On campus, Katie is involved as a project leader for the UConn Consulting Group and representing the student voice in the School of Business Undergraduate Curriculum Revision Task Force.

In information technology, Katie is interested in exploring how businesses can align unique products or services with the use of technology to succeed. The dynamic of business processes has completely shifted because technology is so available and financially obtainable, she said.

“I firmly believe the most pressing strategy question facing any business today is how to leverage technology, specifically data, to gain a competitive advantage,” Katie said.

This past summer, Katie worked as a Data Analytics BLP-Intern for Synchrony Financial at their Innovation Station in Chicago. Katie said this real-world job experience allowed her to take the technical skills she has learned in classes and apply them at the next level.

“Working in the Innovation Station influenced me to really think of technology as a driving force for innovation within an organization, instead of the support function it once was,” Katie said of her experience.

After graduation, Katie will be working as a Management Consulting Analyst for Accenture’s Strategy division in Hartford. She said that she is very excited to begin her work in the field and to gain an even greater understanding of how technology affects different organizations. Additionally, Katie said she hopes to get involved in the startup community because it is where the majority of new technology development and application is happening.

As for her ultimate goal in the field, Katie hopes to pursue an advanced degree down the line and become a professor. She said, “I’m not joking when I say I love college and never want to leave!”

She encourages younger MIS students to take advantage of internship opportunities to build skills and get hands-on experience in different areas of the field. MIS is unique in that it offers students a chance to build technical skills in a variety of areas, which is great, she said.

“I would suggest looking at internships as a chance to explore these different areas in depth and, ultimately, discover which area interests you most in terms of your long-term career goals,” Katie said.

Katie attributes much of her success to UConn. She said it has uniquely prepared her for her career in ways that no other university would have.

“The realities and, at times, challenges of navigating a large, research institution have prepared me to face my career with the same grit and passion I see on campus every day,” Katie said.

Over the past four years, UConn has given Katie many one-of-a-kind opportunities, such as – taking part in a multidisciplinary academic program to build an uncommon skill set, working with a diverse group of students as a student leader, and connecting with dedicated alumni who she believes have been instrumental in shaping her career path. Katie is looking forward to her life as a UConn alum and bringing the skills she’s learned at the university into her professional life.