The following article discusses the career path of Information Technology Manager. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Information Technology Managers.
Job Duties
Information technology managers are incredibly important in any organization in which technology is used in the workplace, which is virtually every organization in the world. These managers line manage an entire team of IT experts, having overarching responsibility for the proper function of all the technology. They troubleshoot problems and ensure every system is fully up to date, so that it can run smoothly. Their goal is to enable everyone else in the organization to be as efficient as possible.
Other job duties of an information technology manager are:
- To implement policies and procedures for the operations of the IT department and ensure these are complied with
- To liaise with upper management, external vendors, and departmental leaders to ensure all processes will run smoothly
- To place risk mitigation strategies in place and perform contingency planning
- To create schedules and plans for projects, setting goals and guidelines to make sure deadlines are met
Where We Work
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 198,800 computer network support specialists in 2016. The largest employers of these professionals were:
- Computer systems design and related services: 18%
- Wired telecommunications carriers: 10%
- Finance and insurance: 8%
- Management of companies and enterprises: 6%
- Data processing, hosting, and related services: 4%
Meanwhile, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has also reported that there were 636,600 computer user support specialists in 2016. The largest employers of these professionals were:
- Computer systems design and related services: 21%
- Educational services; state, local, and private: 12%
- Management of companies and enterprises: 5%
- Temporary help services: 4%
- Software publishers: 3%
How to Become
There are some information technology managers who only have certifications in certain IT-related issues. Others have undergraduate or even graduate degrees. The employer will determine which educational standards they expect and the larger the organization is, the more likely it becomes that they expect a graduate degree. Majors include computer science, mathematics, and engineering.
Education Requirements
Information technology managers have varying levels of education. Computer knowledge is obviously very important, but this does not always mean a college education is required. Many start by completing some computer-related courses, perhaps holding an associate’s degree.
If someone were to find work for a software company, however, it is likely that they will have to have a bachelor’s degree as a minimum. The same is true for more technical roles. Many information technology managers have degrees in computer science, information science, or engineering, for instance. It is generally more important that these specialists keep their knowledge up to date in relation to software updates.
Different vendors, as well as a number of neutral certification providers, offer certificates that may be relevant to information technology managers. While not generally a requirement, these certificates do validate someone’s skills and knowledge. Some companies, therefore, require their specialists to be certified in certain areas.
Information technology managers also have many advancement opportunities available to them, including computer systems administrator, network administrator, or software developer. Others take on positions of management, and others move into sales.
Traits & Qualities
The most effective information technology managers have the following traits to some degree or other:
- Excellent customer service skills
- Great listening skills and being able to hear what isn’t being said
- Strong problem solving skills
- Excellent speaking skills, being able to adapt language used to the audience
- Writing skills
- Computer skills
- Technical skills
Minimum Education
Bachelor’s Degree
National Salary
The national average salary estimate for Information Technology Manager was $83,668. This number is estimated from over 1,403,524 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $43.58 and monthly of $6,972.
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Salary by State
The following section lists Information Technology Manager salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, Delaware had the largest quoted salary of $110,860 while Michigan had the smallest quoted salary of $51,283.
Top 20 National Employers
According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Information Technology Manager. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.
Employer Name | Location | Average Salary |
---|---|---|
Top Tech | Texas | $181,776 |
The Sterling Group | Georgia | $180,000 |
Redolent, Inc | California | $175,000 |
Deloitte | New Jersey | $156,698 |
Barclay Simpson | New York | $151,506 |
Career Brokers, Inc. | California | $149,212 |
Bertram & Associates | California | $148,950 |
Systematic business consulting | California | $147,337 |
National Register USA | Texas | $144,199 |
Starbucks | Washington | $143,846 |
Right Recruiting | Delaware | $140,000 |
Sapient | Maryland | $139,654 |
Learn More
- Information technology management – Wikipedia
- Salary with Master’s in Information Technology Degree
- 13 Things You Can Do with a Information Technology Degree
- 10+ Best Health Information Technology Degrees
- Top 5 Information Technology Management Degrees
- 25+ Information Technology Careers
- Computer and Information Systems Managers : Occupational …
- INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGER – Michigan – SOM
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