Case Study: Gregory Cooper BITS

I was a consultant at Sungard in South Africa when I applied to do the BITS programme. I was involved in requirement analysis, process definition, stakeholder management and software requirements gathering within the financial market industry.

However, it had always been a dream of mine to study abroad and as I had degrees in finance and information technology, the BITS course seemed to be the next logical step in my educational journey.

In my opinion, a manager who not only understands the business but also how to use technology as a business enabler will very shortly become the most valuable resource inside the modern organisation. The blend of technology and business concepts of the BITS course gives you an ideal foundation on which to build future success in this area of expertise.

Strathclyde Business School's graduate school also had an excellent reputation in both academic and corporate circles, which helped me choose.

Coming back to university and studying again after some time spent in industry afforded me the opportunity to think holistically once again about technology issues and not be confined to my industry specialisation. It showed me that there are many important and interesting changes happening within the organisation as we know it and if we are to survive, we need to evolve with the organisation.

I found the course to have the right combination of business and technology with the lecturers using both their academic and industry knowledge to give us a strong foundation on which to become business leaders of the future. Technology is our future and our future is now.

The dynamic nature of the course work was excellent. As information technology continues to evolve year after year, it's great to see that the course work also evolves year after year to keep you at the cutting edge of business and technology.

An integral part of the BITS course involves group work, and being able to interact and relate to people from so many different walks of life has been a truly amazing experience. The real friendships and bonds you form with classmates was what I enjoyed most about the course.

For any students following in my footsteps, I'd advise that, as with most things in life, to succeed you have to strike a balance. Hard work is essential but it's also essential to get out there and form real relationships with people. Knowledge that will separate you from others is not only found in text books but in the minds of those we interact with every day and it's up to you to extract this tacit knowledge. The importance of collaborative learning should not be underestimated so get out there and don't be afraid to collaborate.

This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life so far and although the course was just one year, the fond memories will last a lifetime.

Having worked and studied part-time for most of my life, being a full-time student meant I had lots of free time to spend doing the things I enjoyed, such as sport and socialising with people from all corners of the globe.

Don't get me wrong, more often that not, I was required to put in more than the compulsory 3-4 hours a day lecture time, but there was still more than enough time for me to experience "student life" and I encourage all those who are thinking about studying this masters course to do the same.