Information Systems Junior Core

This past fall (fall 2014), I entered the junior core of the information systems program at Brigham Young University. It has been an awesome experience and it has opened up my eyes to a whole new world of opportunities. Before entering the IS field I had no idea how many options there are in the IT world. This post is going to be of the Question/Answer format, and will hopefully dispel some of the misconceptions that people have about this industry.

Q: They say the number of computing jobs are increasing. What is a computing job?

A:  The title “computing job” encompasses so many different fields of work. Our world is overrun with technology and computers these days. It is impossible to be successful in today’s business place without at least a minimal knowledge of technology. The more you understand technology the more you will excel in the work place.

Q: What is computer programming?

A: Computer programming is making the computer do what you want it to! There are basic logic principles that run a computer. Learning how to speak the language can be a little challenging at first, but learning how to program instills confidence and gratification.

Q: What is the difference between CS and IT?

A: Computer Science and Information Technology are great degrees. They go in depth about topics in the field of technology and computers, but they miss the mark when it comes to being able to understand real word problems of business. Obviously Information Systems isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy being able to understand the business world and interface with business professionals. It is also a great major for those that want to be tech entrepreneurs or CIOs.

Women in Information Systems

Forbes recently ranked information systems as the best master’s degree for jobs, citing an expected 30% increase in demand for IS positions.  However, these and other impressive statistics do not define the passion women have for IS.  Constantly-changing technologies, the ability to work from home, standing out in the business world, and feelings of empowerment, freedom, and leadership are among many explanations highlighting why female IS students are passionate about their field of study.  IS degrees provide an array of career opportunities, illustrated by female alumni who express the major impact of how their acquired skills strongly integrate into and improve their work and personal lives. The mission of this video is to identify the varying passions for, opportunities in, and journeys taken by women who discovered IS - showing that passionate women in information systems can really make a difference!

Check out this video that I produced with a small group of students from Brigham Young University:

Please share it with the women in your life that are looking for a direction to take their lives. It is time to seize the day when it comes to the field of information systems! Make IS a passion of your life.

Mako Syntax in Sublime Text

For all of you who are using Sublime Text as you text editor you will find that it currently doesn't support the HTML (Mako) syntax highlighting and this can be some what annoying. I found a plugin for the the Syntax the following tutorial that will help you to get it up and running. I'm on a MAC, but the process is fairly similar for Windows users.

1. Download the package from the following GitHub repo:

https://github.com/marconi/mako-tmbundle

2. Open sublime text and go to Preferences -> Browse Packages. This should open up the Packages in the Finder. Move the downloaded file into the Packages directory. 

3. In order to make it work I had to remove the code below from the HTML (Mako).tmLanguage file which is located in the Syntaxes folder.

 <dict>
      <key>include</key>
      <string>#embedded-code</string>
 </dict>

Search for #embedded-code which is located 4 times throughout the document and all four instances need to be removed.

4. Close and re-open Sublime. Press Command-Shift-P and type HTML (Mako). Select the Set Syntax: HTML (Mako) option and you should be good to go!

Let me know of any errors in the tutorial. 

Happy Coding!

Get to know Kyle Longhurst!

This post will be about my hobbies, interest, and anything else you might want to know about me!

School: Currently I am a Junior at Brigham Young University. I’m enrolled in the Information System Program and I’m loving it. I love learning about new technology everyday. I have developed a love for coding and creating applications for the past year in school.

Religion: I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

My Hobbies: Rock Climbing, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, Singing, and Dancing.

Work: I work at the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology as a multimedia specialist. I shoot video on a Canon 70D, edit in Adobe Premiere Pro, and create animations in Adobe After Effects.

This coming summer I will be completing an internship working on iOS mobile applications for Canvas by Instructure in Salt Lake City Utah! I’m super excited to be getting into mobile development.

Other: I own my own DJ business. I love music and dancing and there is nothing better than DJ to bring that all together! This has been a great opportunity to start an entrepreneurial venture and learn great business skills while running a family business.

Check out my website http://www.audiodownpour.com

Or follow my twitter https://twitter.com/DJdownpour

I love getting to know people. I love interaction and personalities!

I’m sure this list will grow and become more organized with time, but I thought I would just throw out a quick summary of me. I hope you enjoy following my blog!

Best Wishes,

Kyle Longhurst

PS I started this blog for my MCOM 320 class at BYU. Thanks Shanye Clarke for helping me write and get my thoughts out for everyone to enjoy!