I need to find people with recognizable professional designations that I can use as references on an application that will help me take over the world. They can be people who are legally able to sign a Canadian passport application or people with “recognized professional designations”. I’m not entirely sure what that means, but I have emailed the society for more information on what that means; CGA or CNE? MCSE or Sun Certified Java programmer? Even then, I’m not sure if I know anyone that qualifies as a sponsor… we’ll see.

It’s all part of my master plan for world domination, which I don’t seem to have detailed here. Basically it amounts to a plan to finally acquire a degree. Not just a degree, either, but a Masters of Science in Information Systems.

It’s not the most straightforward approach, and it wouldn’t be cheap or easy, but it’s completely within the realm of possibility… I just need to jump through hoops in the right sequence.

1. Acquire an ISP designation from the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS).
2. Apply to Athabasca University’s MScIS, using the ISP designation in lieu of any established academic experience.
3. Manage to study, pass exams, write papers, and finish a thesis project; formal ed-u-ma-ca-tion stuff.

The ISP designation process has quite possibly been made easier for me; it used to require formal education, work experience, and an exam. My current employer will reimburse the cost of a professional designation and yearly membership in a professional society; saving me about $800 in the first year, and $300 annually. More importantly, CIPS has changed the ISP designation to take into account “Established IT Professionals”, and the points based application is encouraging, even when I’m being especially hard on myself with my scores.

The AU courses run $1,350 each (including pretty much all books, materials, and fees), or about $450 per credit. These aren’t costs that I’m likely to see any sort of reimbursement from the company, but that’s something that I can live with.

Program completion requirements for the MScIS are dependent on the student’s academic credentials and professional-level work experience: [...] may require as few as 24 credits. Others, [...] may require the maximum of 39 credits.

Based on the rough cost per credit, I would expect that this program would cost between $10,800 and 17,550, depending on how much of the program I would need to take. That’s not bad for a Masters that would allow me to apply for a work visa in another country with less chance of being laughed out of the embassy.

Always wanted to pursue post-graduate education, but lacked the requisite educational background? If you hold the Information Systems Professional (I.S.P.) designation (see www.cips.ca/standards/isp), you will be able to pursue your dreams through the Athabasca University’s Master of Science in Information Systems program. Among the traditional post-secondary education entry requirements, Athabasca University now also offers entry into the program to individuals who are active holders of the I.S.P. designation.

Students may study in the program on a full- or part-time basis. All students must complete a minimum of six credits (two course equivalents) per academic year, i.e., September 1 to August 31. To comply with Alberta Students Finance requirements, full-time students must complete six credits per semester (two courses).

With the current financial restrictions for the Move From Hell and the Labour Day Trip in place until at least September, I won’t be able to submit the ISP application to CIPS until October or November, but if that works out, I’m hoping on applying to Athabasca for spring. I’m not entirely sure if that’s feasible, though next fall should be completely doable.