Faith Kapyela, from Zambia, currently works as a public health data officer in the Management Information Systems (MIS) department of a non-governmental organisation (NGO). She took on this role after completing an education focused on information systems (IS) including the IMIS Diploma, Higher Diploma and then an IMIS approved BSc Hons Computing University of Greenwich programme at the Cyber Academy in Lusaka, Zambia.

“I chose IS because I felt computing is a discipline that offers rewarding and challenging possibilities for a wide range of people regardless of their range of interests,” she explains. “I believed computing could provide me with a foundation of knowledge, problem solving and logical thinking that serves as a competitive advantage in my career.”

The role of an IS professional

She also liked the idea of what an IS professional did. She understood that she would have an important part to play in making a company more efficient and she would strongly contribute to the company’s growth.

“As an IS professional I am expected to contribute to business growth and organisational efficiency by knowing enough about the business to decide how computers may help, and knowing enough about computers to decide what potential improvements in business processes can be achieved. Hence I would need to increase the efficiency of the organisation through having ways of understanding what it is trying to be achieved so that I can determine the organisation’s information needs and provide appropriate systems,” she explains.

She chose the IMIS syllabus specifically for what it offered her.

“(I chose it) because of the content of the learning material, which is information technology combined with some accounting, giving us a better chance to find employment easily, as these days computerisation is almost everwhere!”

Funding her own education

After completed her Diploma, Kaypela took a job to raise funds for her further education. By doing this she was able to pay for her school expenses without finding sponsorship. She was also able to undertake the Higher Diploma and BSc programme part-time, which allowed her to continue to work and fund herself through this period. Juggling everything was very challenging, but she managed to succeed.

“It was quite challenging balancing work and school because of my busy work schedule, however I pulled through and managed to allocate sufficient time for my studies,” she explains.

She is very proud of the educational qualifications she has achieved and believes her current job has been a success so far because what she learnt at school has been applied in some of her job responsibilities.

Future plans

Looking forward Kapyela plans to continue educating herself. Her short-term plan is to undertake the Microsoft Certifications (MSCE) throughout 2012, and her long-term plan is to study an MSc in Project Management. This she plans to begin next year, 2013. An 18 month long programme, it is offered at the University of Lusaka and she hopes that by completing this education she will one day be able to move into a project manager role.