I am a senior majoring in Information Technology at the College of Information, with a 3.8 GPA and will graduate in August 2005.

After graduating from high school in Romulus, Michigan, I attended community college because it was the thing to do. It didn't take long before I was burnt out with school. Growing up in inter-city Detroit, there were always opportunities to make money. Most of these opportunities were not something I wanted to do, so I decided to quit school and get a job driving semi-trucks. I could see the world and make money at the same time. Good deal!

After driving trucks for about seven years, I came to the realization that without a college degree, if the bottom fell through on trucking, I had nothing to fall back on. I also realized that the tools you need for life don't necessarily come from just entering the workforce.

Going back to school was a big decision. I was going to have to quit my job, which meant that I would go from earning $1,000 per week to basically earning nothing. Deciding on a major was another big factor, because I didn't want to spend my life working in a narrowly defined job market. My age was another factor. I'd been out of school for several years and would be much older than other students.

I knew that I loved computers, and enjoyed doing research, so a degree in Information Technology from the College of Information sounded like it would be a career path. When I chose this major, I thought it would suit me, but now that I'm graduating, I know it was the right choice.

Today's workforce is in need of well-educated, articulate minorities, which makes the earning potential in this field very high. As a young black man, I knew that with no formal education or degree I would have little chance of getting a job that pays more than minimum wage.

The opportunities for African-Americans who choose to enter the information technology field are virtually limitless. I say this because there are so many areas of study to choose from within this major. Whether your interest is in computer technology, research, information systems, or knowledge management, there is a marketable avenue for you.