Salaries You'll Command in Information Technology Management

Education

A bachelor's degree is usually required for information technology management positions, although employers often prefer additional information technology management training, such as a master's degree in a computer-related field or an MBA with a technology component.

Salary

According to the BLS, the median salary for IT managers is $113,720. These IT managers include the following positions:

• Program Manager
• Development Manager
• Quality Assurance Manager
• IT Operations Manager

Promotions and Career Path

Companies often fill management positions from within their organizations by promoting their own experienced and ambitious IT workers. By doing this, businesses invest in the proven competency of their best employees, enhancing company loyalty and strengthening the organizational and team dynamics that these employees already understand.

Promotions to information technology management within a company come from other IT positions:

• Computer Software Engineers
• Computer Systems Analysts
• Database Administrators
• Information Systems Administrators

Education

Although a bachelor's degree is a minimum prerequisite for top management positions, more commonly executive IT managers have an MBA with a technology focus, giving them expertise in both information technology and business concepts. Others seeking senior information technology management positions have a degree in management information systems (MIS), which combines technology studies with business, accounting and communication.

Salary

Top executives such as the Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) are among the highest paid US workers, which is not surprising given the central importance of their roles in company performance.

According to the Robert Half Technology 2010 Salary Guide, the following are the yearly salary ranges for executive IT managers:

• CIO: $130,250 – $210,500
• CTO: $111,750 – $174,250
• CISO: $107,000 – $160,250

While the median annual salary for top-level IT executives was more than $166,400 in 2009, some earn hundreds of thousands to more than a million dollars per year, although salaries vary substantially by industry and company.

Keep in mind that where you live plays a role in how much you earn. Salary levels are higher in the Northeast and West coast, about average in the South Atlantic, and average to modestly lower in the Midwest and South. IT salaries in large metropolitan areas are also higher than the national average.

If you understand the how information technology impacts your company's business and know how to manage the projects and people that create that technology, getting the right kind of information technology management training may be the perfect way for you to embark on a challenging and rewarding career in information technology management.

_{Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2009, Robert Half Technologies 2010, Managing IT For Your Small Business}