With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1081341
BCBUSINESS.CA MARCH 2019 BCBUSINESS 55 tral focus of the School of Computing and Academic Studies, home to more than 250 courses and 40 dierent programs. "We don't teach computer science," emphasizes Bethany Edmunds, BCIT's associate dean of computing. "We teach software development." The school's grads aren't likely to work for Google developing new machine- learning algorithms, but they will learn how to use tools Google's computer scien- tists and others create. "Computer science is coming up with solutions to large prob- lems," Edmunds explains. "We don't do a lot of that." BCIT has two ‡agship, full-time, two-year computing programs: a computer systems technolo‰y (CST) diploma and a computer information technolo‰y (CIT) diploma. The CST diploma trains students to become software developers—people who design and write computer applications—and is highly regarded in the industry. The CIT diploma prepares students to become IT professionals such as network administrators and system integrators. It's meant for people who enjoy con'guring software and hardware as much as they like coding. The institute also offers numerous part-time and shorter, fast-track full-time computing programs, such as its applied data analytics and technical web designer certi'cates. All of its programs are geared toward hands-on learning about the indus- try's best practices. Students work alone and in teams to build projects as they would once they enter the workforce. Michael Irvine was a Vancouver photog- rapher and graphic designer looking to add web development to his portfolio of creative skills. He graduated last year from BCIT's six- month technical web designer certi'cate program and now works as a hybrid web designer and front-end developer—that is, he builds the user-facing parts of websites that people see and interact with. Irvine faced a steep learning curve to get a handle on programming lan- guages like HTML5 and Javascript, but they added new dimensions to his work, which he 'nds immensely rewarding. "For me, coming from a more creative, design background, I really enjoy using programming to create a more interesting user interface," he says. Irvine went to BCIT looking to make a short, intense, career-boosting invest- ment. He considered programs at Langara and at Red Academy, a Vancouver-based boot camp with locations in Toronto and London, England. Ultimately, BCIT was the best 't for his schedule, budget and learn- ing preferences. GOING CAMPING Boot camps, however, are an increasingly popular option for students because they oer some of the quickest on-ramps to the most popular tech careers. They typically offer a narrow range of programs that promise to be laser-focused on the most current industry needs. Students and employers welcomed boot camps as disrup- tors to an education system that can be slow to adapt to technolo‰y's constant, rapid pace of change. But some employers have also viewed them with skepticism because of their brevity, and because many are too new to have built much of a track record of long-term results. Lighthouse Labs' full-time web develop- ment boot camp trains students to become full stack developers—programmers capa- ble of writing both front-end and back-end web software—in 10 weeks. Irvine's front- end certi'cate at BCIT, by comparison, ran for six months. every few weekends. There are also academic partner- ships such as the MBA/JD program, offered through the Robert H. Lee Graduate School and the Peter A. Allard School of Law, which allows students to earn both degrees at once. To keep offerings relevant, UBC Sauder often adds innova- tive courses to its lineup. The school admits students on a rolling basis throughout the year. University of Northern British Columbia, School of Business TUITION: $7,600 per semester (five semesters) NEXT APPLICATION DEADLINE: APRIL 30 UNBC's MBA program is designed for working profes- sionals. To accommodate busy schedules, classes take place one weekend per month. The university allows students to complete their degree at its Prince George campus or at Vancouver's Langara College, bringing both groups together twice a year to meet alumni and network with potential employers. Students who lack an undergraduate degree or don't meet other admission requirements are welcome to apply. UVic, Peter B. Gustavson School of Business TUITION: $24,500-$33,700 (program-dependent) NEXT APPLICATION DEADLINE: MAY 31 From its corporate MBA to its business-focused master's degrees, the Gustavson School of Business covers various designations and fields of study. Small class sizes, group work and an international applied project give students networking opportunities and expose them to business environ- ments in other cultures. Programs like the master of global business help them prepare for careers with multinational corporations. Vancouver Island University, Faculty of Management TUITION: $33,400-$39,600 (program-dependent) NEXT APPLICATION DEADLINE: MARCH 31 At VIU, students who have a business degree can jump straight into the 14-to- 16-month, full-time MBA; for those without, there's a two- to-three-month foundation program to help them get up to speed. Before doing their internship, enrollees can opt for a two-course specializa- tion. Through a partnership with the U.K.'s University of Hertfordshire, VIU also lets students earn an MBA and a master of science in interna- tional management. continued from p.53 "We lean on people who have the academic skills because there is a level of consistency right out of the gate. There's an understanding of tech- nology that's baked in with people who gradu- ate from university" –Kory Fawcett, founder and CEO, Zaui Software 2019 EDUCATION GUIDE