For a mountain climber, one of the chief reasons for climbing the mountain is that it is there to be conquered. The same analogy applies to life and one thing that helps in achieving that goal is education; education with a deeper focus on the desired field of interest. Accordingly, I wish to enhance my skills by pursuing a more advanced education that will help me triumph over the various challenges of life. The meaning of life as I understand is to reach great heights through repeated self uplifting. I have done so in the past and hope to do so in the future.
And what I am doing currently is one of those self uplifting sessions – to apply to the University at Buffalo School of Management for the Master of Science in Management Information Systems Program. Having completed my undergraduate degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems, I have a good knowledge of the business processes that are typically involved in running a business. As part of the coursework, I have been not only introduced to, but have got deep insights into various aspects of the business like Operations/Strategic Management, Human Resources, Finance, etc.
I also had the opportunity of working with a group of Graduate students and Dr. Raj Sharman, to design the network layout for a given building. Having said that, I have always been interested in computer security, which is also my ultimate career objective. I hope to take advantage of the resource of the school to get the Information Assurance certificate, more specifically the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) certification. Information Assurance goes beyond information security to include reliability and emphasizes strategic risk management over risks and tactics.
Thus, I believe that the tactics learned in school and at work shall be helpful in this career move. I aspire to become an Information Systems Security Analyst. Some of the tasks that have to be accomplished include sustaining a security program, performing audits on IT systems, maintaining security awareness training, etc. My short term goals are to get the Master’s degree in MIS, along with the Information Assurance certification. I also understand that a job in the field of MIS requires soft as well as technical skills.
I hope to build up on my technical skills, because I believe I have got ample opportunity to develop people skills but not so much with the technical skills. In my effort to stay on top of things, I also read a lot of professional journals like the Journal of Information Systems Security, SANS (SysAdmin, Audit, Networking, and Security), Tech Republic, etc. In the long run, I hope to use my knowledge and skills to provide value to the firm I work for, in the field of Information Assurance.
Nonetheless, I hope to utilize the resources available at the University, like the Sleiman Information Assurance Lab to better assist me in realizing my short and long term goals. Also, the curriculum has courses that are a perfect fit for my objectives. Having been a student at the University I value the role played by the faculty members in making the school an established one. Therefore, I hope to get admitted into the University at Buffalo for the fall 2010 semester.
I look forward to gaining a lot of knowledge from the coursework. While doing so, I would also like to give my best to the university in making it even better. My successful internship at The Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo is one element of my overall academic success as an undergraduate at UB, yet I also made time for extracurricular activities like essay writing and intramural sports. I have also been a member of the India Association of Buffalo, an organization for South Asians in the Buffalo area.
My positive experiences in the various jobs held during my stay in Buffalo have resulted in my desire to stay in Buffalo to continue my education endeavors. Furthermore, continuing my education here would allow me to make important business contacts, which will be a stepping stone in completing my career goal of becoming an Information Assurance professional. I am sure the University at Buffalo will discover a valuable asset in me that will make the association mutually profitable.
