IT management duties are to manage the computing aspects of a company. If there are IT issues, the IT manager will address them by providing solutions to fix the problem. Technologies are ever growing and becoming more and more a part of an organization's life. Because of this more security measures will be needed to protect organization assets from hackers, viruses, and unexpected crashes. IT managers who specialize in IT planning in security will become increasingly more important.
Before an IT manager can maintain an organization's technical information, they first determine which technologies will best suit an organization's needs. If an organization does not have the proper technology, new software will not do them any good and will likely only cause additional problems. Understanding how the organization will function with specific types of technology will go a long way in the success of its implementation. Once the technology is found, the IT management must be able to implement it into the system and maintain it.
The education requirements to become an IT manager include at least a bachelor's degree, with a focus in technology rather than business, although business education and training is a must. It is a possibility to land an entry-level job with just an associate's degree, but most will continue their education and may earn up to a master's degree in the process while working. With the line between technical information and business practices becoming more blurry, many employers will look to IT manager prospects with a high level of business training to help in making day-to-day business decisions.
The average work week for an IT manager is forty hours, but overtime may be required to solve unexpected problems. Earnings may vary depending on experience and level of responsibility in a given field. The average IT manger makes between $79,000 and $110,000 per year, with the possibility of earning up to $129,000 in larger companies. Those who have seniority could receive benefits such as stock options. There are currently around 264,000 IT-management-related occupations, and that number is set to increase to over 307,000.
Opportunities for those in the IT management field are expected to grow over the next decade because of the advancement of technologies which will need qualified workers to run them. To maximize the IT organizations' potential and continually stay ahead of the competition, companies will want to have the latest and best software/hardware available. While IT technology is designed to make an organization run more efficiently, the technology will become more complicated and sophisticated at the same time. Those who have the latest in education and training will find the most opportunities for advancement. IT management is a highly competitive field because the wages are good and the opportunity for advancement is high.
Those who possess a good combination of technical issues and have excellent communication skills can apply their knowledge to other positions. For example, those who understand the technology information of an organization but also have good personal skills could become human resource managers or could become involved with sales. Knowing technical terms is very important for IT managers, but explaining them in basic terms to customers and other mangers is also important. Being able to speak clearly on very complicated technical issues will be greatly beneficial to those who do not have a clear understanding of technically complicated things.
The economy can play a role in IT management positions as well. With strenuous economic times, fewer companies will start or begin to grow, which will limit the opportunities for organizations to employee IT managers. Depending on which field IT managers are working in will determine the job growth. Those who have the education and training in existing companies can advance more successfully and become presidents of information technology departments. Information technology will always continue to grow and create ways for organizations to run more productively. Therefore, there will always be a need for people to manage the technical information systems. The only thing which is not guaranteed is which type of companies will succeed or fail in creating more or less IT managers in the work field.
