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doesnt anyone take this subject seriously? (1 Viewer)

MrBrightside

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i was forced to do this subject due to lines issues and am coming first with 23% wtf seriously im not taking this serious beecause im dropping it does anyone?
ahaha your shit if you get 23% for IPT LMAO, your class is the landfill.
 

resistant22

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Really wish I had the option to pick this subject, looks good instead of some of the things i'm currently undertaking
 

seremify007

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I'm 24 now, and did IPT back in year 11 and year 12. The thing which I don't think people realise is that some of the skills & concepts you learn in IPT are surprisingly useful in the real world.

1. Reading Flowcharts
On a regular basis, I meet with clients who have had breakdowns in their system processes somewhere along the way (e.g. between a product system and a payments system) which has resulted in breaks or errors being spat out onto a reconciliation. When they explain to me where the breaks are, they often draw diagrams using flowcharts showing information flows and which systems reconcile or are checked against others, etc... without being able to understand these diagrams, I'd have absolutely NFI what's going on in these meetings. I also wouldn't be able to efficiently or effectively identify components of work which my team can perform or how we can gain comfort over how the system breakdowns don't lead to or indicate bigger issues.

I don't work in IT- I work in Commerce. They don't teach this in uni (well, at least not at UNSW in any of my accounting/finance subjects) and they don't teach it in CA either. Noone actually teaches you this in practice either- you kindof are expected to pick it up somehow especially since it's not a typical thing which accountants do.

2. Scenario Analysis and Application
Being able to relate your own knowledge and understanding of systems, and how it can be implemented into another organisation's situation to remedy their problems is a huge benefit. Better yet, if you can explain where gaps are or how they could be rectified, you are able to add value. This skill of applying one system or theory to another environment is something which isn't taught anywhere but it's a huge part of my work as an auditor.

3. Implementation Strategies
Again, this is never explicitly taught anywhere but you're magically expected to understand the different (basic) theories of implementation (remember pilot, phased, etc..?)- and how it happens in the real world. Even in my field as an auditor, I need to understand this because this then links in with accounting standards on how to amortise large projects in phases based on sections being substantially complete and ready for use.

Now, I'm not saying IPT is the only way to learn them, but for me it's how I learnt them and I'm actually very grateful I took this subject seriously because it's my point of differentiation from my peers. Why does that matter? It means I can understand things a lot faster than others and can handle difficult and unexpected client situations/meetings without having to resort to "oh this isn't my area so I'll need to find someone who understands flowcharts/systems/etc".

EDIT: I realise my post is a little late (i.e. 2 days after the exam) but I hope that maybe future students (and even those who just did it) don't just throw away everything they've learnt because IPT is actually a surprisingly decent subject along with business studies. These two subjects have actually proven to be the most useful in the 'real world'. The subjects which I thought would be useful (e.g. economics) turned out to be nothing more than for interests sake- didn't help in uni or in work.
 
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MrBrightside

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I'm 24 now, and did IPT back in year 11 and year 12. The thing which I don't think people realise is that some of the skills & concepts you learn in IPT are surprisingly useful in the real world.

1. Reading Flowcharts
On a regular basis, I meet with clients who have had breakdowns in their system processes somewhere along the way (e.g. between a product system and a payments system) which has resulted in breaks or errors being spat out onto a reconciliation. When they explain to me where the breaks are, they often draw diagrams using flowcharts showing information flows and which systems reconcile or are checked against others, etc... without being able to understand these diagrams, I'd have absolutely NFI what's going on in these meetings. I also wouldn't be able to efficiently or effectively identify components of work which my team can perform or how we can gain comfort over how the system breakdowns don't lead to or indicate bigger issues.

I don't work in IT- I work in Commerce. They don't teach this in uni (well, at least not at UNSW in any of my accounting/finance subjects) and they don't teach it in CA either. Noone actually teaches you this in practice either- you kindof are expected to pick it up somehow especially since it's not a typical thing which accountants do.

2. Scenario Analysis and Application
Being able to relate your own knowledge and understanding of systems, and how it can be implemented into another organisation's situation to remedy their problems is a huge benefit. Better yet, if you can explain where gaps are or how they could be rectified, you are able to add value. This skill of applying one system or theory to another environment is something which isn't taught anywhere but it's a huge part of my work as an auditor.

3. Implementation Strategies
Again, this is never explicitly taught anywhere but you're magically expected to understand the different (basic) theories of implementation (remember pilot, phased, etc..?)- and how it happens in the real world. Even in my field as an auditor, I need to understand this because this then links in with accounting standards on how to amortise large projects in phases based on sections being substantially complete and ready for use.

Now, I'm not saying IPT is the only way to learn them, but for me it's how I learnt them and I'm actually very grateful I took this subject seriously because it's my point of differentiation from my peers. Why does that matter? It means I can understand things a lot faster than others and can handle difficult and unexpected client situations/meetings without having to resort to "oh this isn't my area so I'll need to find someone who understands flowcharts/systems/etc".

EDIT: I realise my post is a little late (i.e. 2 days after the exam) but I hope that maybe future students (and even those who just did it) don't just throw away everything they've learnt because IPT is actually a surprisingly decent subject along with business studies. These two subjects have actually proven to be the most useful in the 'real world'. The subjects which I thought would be useful (e.g. economics) turned out to be nothing more than for interests sake- didn't help in uni or in work.
Yeah I agree that this stuff will be helpful at uni, especially if you going into an I.T degree or similar field.

There was a weird multiple choice question in this years IPT HSC exam, it was a complete MindFu5$. Basically they put a file name as an external entity. Is that possible?
 

seremify007

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Yeah I agree that this stuff will be helpful at uni, especially if you going into an I.T degree or similar field.
I would probably go further than that and say it's more useful to people who don't do an IT degree because this sorta stuff won't be included in any curriculum yet it'll be 'assumed knowledge' in a lot of workplaces.
 

powlmao

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I would probably go further than that and say it's more useful to people who don't do an IT degree because this sorta stuff won't be included in any curriculum yet it'll be 'assumed knowledge' in a lot of workplaces.
But most people do know this. Still usefull for those who are illterate with computers
 

seremify007

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But most people do know this. Still usefull for those who are illterate with computers
Disagree- seeing a lot of my colleagues in the Commerce industry (but no doubt require some IT skills), I have come to better appreciate the stuff (particularly the areas identified above such as reading data flowcharts) I learnt in high school. I'm not saying people have no idea about them, but for example in terms of understanding how a diamond works, let alone some of the fancier flowchart symbols, I've realised that a lot of people just use square boxes for everything (i.e. process, decision, storage, etc) and even get their process flow rather than data flow concepts mixed up.

Back when I did the HSC I thought it was a given that everyone knew certain things but it's interesting to see how different curriculum both in NSW, Australia, and globally, can create skills gaps between otherwise similarly trained/skilled people.
 
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MrBrightside

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I would probably go further than that and say it's more useful to people who don't do an IT degree because this sorta stuff won't be included in any curriculum yet it'll be 'assumed knowledge' in a lot of workplaces.
I agree, I have seen it used in 'some' IT related workplaces. If people in other industries don't know what they mean, then what's the use of writing one up for them?
 

seremify007

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I agree, I have seen it used in 'some' IT related workplaces. If people in other industries don't know what they mean, then what's the use of writing one up for them?
I was thinking in my case, it's because my work revolves around investigation of fraud in accounting which is inherently linked to understanding the systems behind it which gave rise to the opportunity to create the fraud in the first place. We hold interviews with people from within the business and they give us an explanation/their thoughts- sometimes this is way more technical than what any accoutning grad knows.
 

seremify007

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Lol got me a state ranking and a giant shield (and various letters of congratulations) so can't complain :)


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seremify007

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Interestingly even now I still use a lot of the concepts from ipt in practice when I have meetings with it people who assume I don't understand the various layers in an environment or the different methods of implementation. I can even draw flow charts in Visio explaining their business processes better than they can- and using the proper symbols.


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