Explaining your Degree to Friends and Family
Person 1: “Tell me again, what are you studying?”
Person 2: Gives response about the iSchool
Person 1: Blank look on face ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
With the holiday season approaching, many people will be going back home to visit family and friends. It’s almost always inevitable you will get this question- are you prepared to explain your degree? We thought up some ways you could explain your degree to someone with no familiarity with the iSchool:
“I’m studying the relationship between information, technology, and people. I am taking classes in… (knowledge organization, computer programming, web site development, Cataloging, etc…)”
“The degree focuses on Information Science- the ways we analyze, collect, classify, store, and protect information. The Dewey Decimal system is a good example of one way we classify and organize information in a library. Similar principals apply to the way we might organize a web site, a smartphone app, a database, etc. “
“My degree is interdisciplinary—we learn from professors that come from a range of industries like psychology, technology, business, and education.”
“My school was based around the growing need to train librarians in the early 1900’s. Through time this continued and evolved in response to the changes in the ways people create, capture, change, find and share information. We are taught classes that focus on both the ways we do this with physical non-physical information.”
“My degree is going to help me get a job where I am responsible for designing technology to make it easier for people to interact with.”
“I want to work as a librarian after I graduate- my program helps me develop the skills and accreditation to for this career.”
Or you can always simply whisper over someone’s shoulder in a warm embrace, “The iSchool is my school.” That seems to be the most universal way, isn’t that right Harry Bruce?
We are curious to hear from you- what are some of the ways you explain the iSchool to your friends and family? Leave a comment below!
-Dean Kirkpatrick
TOP JOBS/OPPORTUNITIES:
- Metadata Specialist, UW Libraries: apply via iCareers, ID 3712
- Information Literacy Teaching Assistant, Seattle Central Community College: apply via iCareers, ID 3707
- Technical Marketing Engineer Intern, ExtraHop Networks: apply via iCareers, ID 3700
- Intern-Technical, F5 Networks: apply via HuskyJobs, ID 96901
- CAPSTONE: STEM Paths Database Project, STEM Paths: apply via iCareers, ID 3714
UPCOMING EVENTS:
- Friday, Nov. 20, 1:30-2:00 p.m., Interviews: Getting Started, MGH 134
- Monday, Nov. 23, 3:30-4:00 p.m., Resumes: Getting Started, MGH 134
- Tuesday, Nov. 24, 3:30-4:00 p.m., Job Search: Getting Started, MGH 134
- Wednesday, Nov. 25, 4:30-5:20 p.m., Incentive Design and User Diversity, MGH 241
- Tuesday, Dec. 1, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Resume Cafe, Suzzallo Cafe
UW iSchool Office of Student Services Blog 
From Mike Eisenberg and Scott Barker: Informatics is a high-tech, high-touch field that puts technology – computers, the Internet, devices – to work to make things better – for work, for society, and to improve our individual lives.
I often starts by saying that we are very interdisciplinary. “We have humanists, social scientists, scientists, engineers, designers, etc.” Giving examples of research projects has helped a lot. And I admit to using the “We look at just about anything, with an information lens” line.
I am pursuing a master’s in information management. My degree will enable me to be armed with the requisite skills and knowledge needed to work in technology managenent and consulting.