by Jonathan Matias

Reaching junior year brings with it a substantial question all sophomores under DISCS need to answer: should I take a track or specialization?  But for the uninitiated, both could sound like mysterious, daunting choices.  Luckily for you readers, Wildcard is here to set the record straight.  This is going to be a quick primer for junior year.

Of course, the first thing we have to do is answer the questions “What is a track?” and “What is a specialization?”  Simply put, tracks and specializations are courses within a course—i.e. not only are you a Computer Science major, you are also versed in 3D programming, knowledge management, or corporate systems.  The most noticeable difference between the two is a specialization (henceforth referred to as a “spec,” pronounced as “speck”) will appear on your diploma (Richard Gear, BS CS specializing in Interactive Multimedia).  On the other hand, a track will only require three units instead of the five for a spec.  Both have their benefits and disadvantages, so here are a few words regarding each track/spec from a few CompSAt members.

Interactive Multimedia

Source: pixartimes.com

From Jonathan Sescon:

“The Interactive Multimedia (IM) track or specialization focuses on, obviously, multimedia. Taking Game Design classes is required, but… IM is not all about games. With IM, you can be a special effects programmer for a CGI-heavy movie like the Transformer series, or a computer animation programmer for a computer animated movie like Toy Story. Another potential career path would be design educational and learning programs, like the ones made in the Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences or ALLS (aka Ma’am Jess, Sir Diy and Ma’am Didith’s office). IM is probably the most programming-intensive track, and also quite math intensive (especially Geometry, Linear Algebra, and Graph Theory). It was once the most popular track for CS majors, as 50% of one batch took the track. For me, it is the most fun track, since IM is track where you get to fiddle with the graphics card. It is quite hard, especially when you program OpenGL, but it is enlightening and fun!”

Business Intelligence

Source: cloudtimes.org

From Angeline Nuguid:

“If I were to define Business Intelligence based on what I’ve been learning from my BI electives, I would define it as using and manipulating data and turning it to knowledge in order to help an organization make better decisions. Basically, you will be dealing with data. Lots of it. You will learn how to gather data, turn that data into information and knowledge and use it to make informed decisions for the company.

“Why take BI as a track/specialization? It’s fun! This is sort of like the managerial side of Computer Science. You get to spell the difference between a good and bad decision for your company.”

Enterprise Systems

Source: wcldf.org

From Kim Zafra:

“For me, Enterprise Systems is studying Information Technology in businesses.  But ES is not limited to IT since we have Business Process Management, which checks and improves a company’s processes, and we have AIS as well (Accounting Information Systems which [describes] the processes in [a] business, like production, sales, purchasing, etcetera).  It opens students’ minds to the things which actually happen in a company.”

Since I also chose ES, I’ll be providing a few extra details.  Enterprise Systems is all about the Big Picture and how IT reinforces it—and it has very little to do with code.  You’ll be tracing whole systems and processes—compared to Business Intelligence which focuses on data.  Under ES, you have the opportunity to examine, understand, optimize, and/or rebuild any process, any system—any organization.  On the IT spectrum, this is as close to management as you can get—and the furthest away from programming you can go.

Why should you take it?  If you want to be a manager, you will end up applying the basic principles ES will teach you.  As Sir Joselito Olpoc said, paraphrased, “The higher up you go, the less programming skills you need—and conversely, the better at management you must become.”

Conclusion

Each track and spec definitely offers something unique and interesting to each individual.  After all is said and done, the best Wildcard can do is to tell you to go with what makes you passionate, whether it be multimedia, data, or systems.  This is definitely the most important piece of advice we have because you will have to commit to courses under at least one of these specializations/tracks for up to two years.  Of course, there exists the option to avoid them altogether so don’t be too quick to decide.

Happy choosing, CompSAt members!  And good luck!