Last updated on July 27th, 2023 at 04:09 pm
I have been sharing with you about IT courses (I have written a number of articles including about the most marketable ICT courses in Kenya) but I am yet to answer the question “Is business information technology marketable in Kenya?”
And so I want to answer this question in this article now that some of you have been asking about the marketability of business information technology courses in Kenya..
So, is business information technology marketable in Kenya really?
Read on for the answer:
Is business information technology marketable in Kenya?
Well, while IT as a whole is very marketable in Kenya, I don’t recommend a business information technology course to students because I feel it’s a bit confusing to potential employers..
And here is why (In my opinion):
It’s not popular among employers
What employers seem to know are the ‘official ICT courses’..and these include Information Technology(pure), Information Communication Technology(ICT), and Computer Science.
And so while there are some employers who accept graduates of business information technology, most job adverts for IT jobs I have seen still seem to prefer holders of Information Technology(pure), Information Communication Technology(ICT), and Computer Science – some do not even mention business information technology perhaps because such employers do not understand the ‘business’ part.
Put another way, not many employers know what exactly the course is all about- apart from knowing that it is IT related- so you may miss out on a job due to its lack of popularity.
It’s not a specialized course
Courses like Information Technology and Information Communication Technology are specialized and you will learn specific skills (mainly in the application of Information Technology / Information Communication Technologies in businesses, government agencies, academia, the health industry, and more).
In contrast, business information technology is more of a hybrid course that teaches you both business management and information technology skills almost on a 50-50 ratio.
And since most employers are usually looking for very specific IT skills, they are likely to go for a graduate of Information Technology(pure), Information Communication Technology(ICT), or Computer Science over someone with a degree in business information technology because you’re presumed not to be a specialist in ICT.
Worse still, even some employers will go for graduates of specialized business courses (Think of courses like B.com, Business Management, Business Administration, etc.) over a holder of a business information technology degree when they are recruiting business professionals (marketers, managers, administrators, finance personnel, etc.).
And it’s again due to the fact that you’re not considered to be an expert in any business niche (you’re seen to be a sort of a half-half graduate).
What am I driving at?
What I’m saying is simple: It is better to pursue a degree in either Information Technology, Information Communication Technology, or even computer science than a Bachelor of Business and Information Technology(BBIT)/Bachelor of Business Information Technology.
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Information Technology Vs Information Communication Technology
Now, there is no major difference between Information Technology and Information Communication Technology and the units covered in the two courses are the same (more or less).
Indeed, Information Communication Technology is simply a more fancy name for Information Technology since communication technologies such as the internet are today considered an integral part of IT (unlike in the past).
Having said that, the truth is most universities in Kenya offer a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology (and not Information Communication Technology) so you’ll probably end up doing Information Technology.
Information Technology /Information Communication Technology Vs Computer Science
On the other hand, there is a significant difference between Information Technology and Computer Science..
To be clear, Information Technology is more of a general hands-on course (graduates of IT do diverse practical projects when learning) while computer science is more about the management and development of computer systems.
As a consequence, you are likely to land jobs such as programmer, systems administrator, head of Computing, Software Engineering Manager, etc. if you take a computer science degree.
I should mention that IT will lead you to a more diversified range of jobs including:
- IT support officer /IOT technician (you will be supporting and troubleshooting computer hardware and software)
- ICT Officer / ICT Assistant / IT Support Specialist (you’ll be handling everything from training and support as well as IT Project Management to developing and maintaining computer programs)
- IT Specialist-Digital Marketing(you will be in charge of all aspects of digital marketing operations)
- Information Technology Risk Officer(you are in charge of the organization’s cyber security)
- Database Administrator(DBA)- You will ensure that critical databases are functional and performing optimally all the time.
- Information Technology Manager(you are the head of the entire IT department)
Please note that you need to acquire additional certifications to qualify for some of the above roles.
For example, having an Oracle certification is important if you dream of becoming a Database Administrator.
Likewise, a Cyber security Certification like CEH(Certified Ethical Hacker) is vital if you want to become a cyber-security professional.
BBIT vs computer science
Again as I have above., computer science is more marketable than BBIT on the whole.
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