You boss will be impressed over the long term by your ability, not the degree on your resume. Seems to me that if you arm your tech staff with training first you would increase a company's efficiency and profitability because you would have more productive and creative staff who could immediately create and implement effective technology solutions. JIT training is skills related, not knowledge related. After all its only strength is in its people, not the building or the equipment. I teach that leadership is essential in the modern organization.
Learners grow stronger en route.
It would seem that businesses in this area are recruiting computer science students because of the discipline of engineering. There is a place for computer scientists and a place for business skills. Some of us have the ability to become one but not the aother. There is plenty of room for both. I assure you that an MS IST degree is a powerful degre and fulluy in keeping with the needs of industry and government.