Xref: utzoo misc.misc:11869 misc.education:1605 misc.jobs.misc:11122 comp.misc:12154
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!uwm.edu!lll-winken!well!rchao
From: rchao@well.sf.ca.us (Robert Chao)
Newsgroups: misc.misc,misc.education,ba.general,misc.jobs.misc,comp.misc
Subject: Systems Analysis - need advice
Message-ID: <24289@well.sf.ca.us>
Date: 18 Apr 91 05:50:51 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA
Lines: 39

I am looking for advice from anyone who knows anything about systems
analysis.
The opportunity has arisen to take a night course in systems analysis.
I know this to be a useful field because so many want ads seem to be
looking for an S.A. My boss has worked as an S.A. in the past. I was
uncertain as to what S.A. is, exactly. He informed me that it's pretty
much what I've been doing for the past 4 years! - (I am a programmer
at a little software place and do phone support too.) He meant, I work
with users as far as knowing what the user needs from the programs;
and I design the programs such that data is presented in a clear and
useful way.
He was uncertain as to whether I should take the class. He said if I
wanted to, I could go around saying I had worked for him as an SA and
he would support it. But there are still reasons why perhaps I should
take it, and I need your advice:
- My boss was an SA a long time ago. Has the definition of what an 
S.A. is changed since then? He also mentioned that he didn't take any
courses specifically about SA- because there weren't any back then! He
did study operations research (or something like that) and said this
was like SA but mathematical. Do people who work as SAs ususally have
some kind of courses taken about it?
- I looked through the text for the course (Foundations of Bus. Systems
by Flaaten et al) and it all looks like broad and general terms for
things: data flow, data design, etc. Is there a lot of terminology
that goes with S.A. that is essential?
- Basically, I'm not that business-oriented. but I would like to be able
to understand enough about computers and business to understand current
applications. What kind of environment would an SA work in? Is it the
kind of environment that would require other business knowledge also?
- I really don't know if it will be worth the time, if only for the 
sake of putting the course on my resume (it costs $290 and is self-paced
but apparently it usually takes 4 months, but I don't know what that is
based on). (My grades from Berkeley were not very high and the degree is
linguistics BA.) (I'm also reading an operation systems text on my own,
from a CS BA course.)
If anyone can help, it is much appreciated!
-- 
Robert Chao
Oakland, California