What I learned from doing my Masters

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What I learned from doing my Masters

• Bryan Duggan MSc
• bryan.duggan_at_comp.dit.ie

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There is more to life than computers
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Time management

• Kiss your monkey goodbye.

• Thinking is working
• Get organised!

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Doing research

• Look for authoritive research
• Do plenty secondary research
• Combine it with primary, hands on research to add
  authority
• Make it you own, never ever cut and paste
• Get the format right
• Be critical
• Be original
• Get published

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Be Original

• Take the stuff thats already there and create
  something new
• For example..

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A Table
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Framework

• Decision support tool
• Evaluation tool

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A Taxonomy/Ontology
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Roadmap

• Usually a time based plan, with phases

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Lifecycle

• Show how something leads to something else

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Model/Map

• A diagrammatic representation of something

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Capability Maturity Model
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Value Chain
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Measurement

• Metric
• Index
• Calculation
• Graph
• Statistics

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How to

• Guidelines
• Best practise
• A specification
• Critical success factors
• Methodology

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Or maybe even

• Write a program!

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Research areas

• Choose something that will interest you
• Something original
• Not too esoteric
• Write a paper (or two) in the area
• Do some investigation before you get into it
• Some ideas

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Aligning business IT

• Different goals
• Measures of success
• Surveys - Online part

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Privacy

• 9/11
• Biometrics
• Hacking
• Cookies
• RF-ID Tags
• Smart cards

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Web services

• XML based web services
• UDDI
• SOAP
• Next big thing (for the last few years!)

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Gadgets

• 802.11
• PDAs
• Ubiquitous computing
• J2ME
• The next big thing (also for the last few years)
• Implants Cyborgs

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Open Source Software

• Linux
• Apache
• PHP
• MySQL

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Programmers

• Methodologies
• XP
• Motivation
• A spiritual dimension?

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Computer Games

• Gaming industry in Scotland
• University of Abertay
• GAA

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Green issues

• Moore's Law
• Recycling

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Women in IT

• http//www.womeninit.net/
• http//www.fis.utoronto.ca/phd/marton/webstudy/

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Outsourcing

• India
• Microsoft
• IBM

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Digital Rights Management

• IP
• P2P
• WMP
• MP3
• iPod
• Zen

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Computers, society and the internet

• Email
• Online chat
• Dating
• Webcams
• Text messaging

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• Good luck and Enjoy it!