What do NBA and information technology have in common?

In the height of summer, two things start to happen: the NBA post-season scouting and school hunting. These two events, happening on opposite ends of the globe, are seemingly unrelated. And yet, NBA teams and parents are both looking for one thing in common – promise.

On one hand, NBA teams are scouting for a promising talent, looking for that one rookie in the draft or a grizzled veteran who will either help them in next season’s campaign, or flat-out save the franchise. On the other, parents and students are looking or schools and universities with the most promising courses and curricula to offer. Both will have their futures on the line, and consequently, both will want the best.

An NBA coach once said that someday, all basketball players would be built like the Orlando Magic’s all-star guard/forward Tracy McGrady – all arms and legs with no neck. He was referring to McGrady’s physique – uniquely suited for basketball; McGrady is tall, lean and athletic, with all the muscles in his arms and legs.

In like fashion, the student populace looks for certain qualities in schools and universities such as location, reputation, track record, courses offered, and the like.

Both decisions, however, depend foremost on what future they want. In basketball, coaches with running games and motion/zipper playbooks prefer the agile McGrady to a hulking Ben Wallace, stoic defender though he may be. From an NBA general manager’s point of view, McGrady represents two things: a new breed of players with the "right stuff," and a catalyst in their quest for the NBA championships. Should he become a free agent, teams would be scrambling for a way to fit him into their salary cap. A fierce competitor, McGrady has proven that he can almost single-handedly carry a team into the post-season through a sheer force of will and near-limitless talent. For teams able to build a franchise around him, McGrady’s potential is without bounds.

Like NBA GMs, parents scrutinize the performance and potential of their prospects. Students with a keen interest in information technology look for schools that will provide the necessary education to succeed in the IT field and enhance the skills they already possess. They look for schools with the capacity to elevate them above their contemporaries, with programs that will provide them with the skills to excel.

One such school is Information Computer Institute. And like McGrady is to isolation plays in basketball, Informatics is uniquely suited to accommodate young students in their quest to find "world-class IT education" and aid them in taking the first step toward a professional IT career.

Informatics is known for its international certification courses and foreign degree programs. Having one of the world’s largest IT education networks, Informatics’ systems and curriculum are standardized and globally competitive, which means that students in Informatics schools in the Philippines get the same education and certificate programs as students in Informatics Singapore.

Informatics offers programs designed to maximize learning potential and develop IT proficiency. It boasts of courses ranging from a three-year, trimester BS in Computer Science to several international certification programs such as Certified Internet Professional, Professional Certification in Info-Comm Technology and XPAC (Executive Package) for accountants, engineers and educators, among other professionals.

Taking a page from the handbook of professional basketball where an increasing number of high school players like McGrady make the jump to the NBA, Informatics students immediately receive a diploma and can then get a job upon completion of their first year, followed by an advanced diploma on their second year, and the option to finish their final year in a variety of settings, from online, on-campus, to on-site via the high-tech facilities of Informatics International College, thus giving them a headstart over their contemporaries.

Informatics has had over 200,000 graduates, 45 centers all over the country, and 100 partner-schools under its IT Integration Program since its inception.

As the premium for proficient IT workers continues to rise, competition among aspiring IT professionals is a stiff as an NBA playoff game. And in the coming schoolyear, that means enrolling in Informatics is not just like having a McGrady on your tea; it’s being McGrady.