Degree help

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Hello,

As many of you I recently started my career in IT. So far my job description is Desktop Support but I tend to do quite a bit of networking as well. One of my long term goals in IT would be to become something like a CIO or CTO. This will obviously take me a while to get to but I am very determined in my ways.

My question would be, what kind of an education is required for that? for example do I need to have a Degree in Business? a degree in Computer Networking? etc. I know that to be a CTO or a CIO requires a lot of work, the individual has to posses a lot business skills, ability to solve complicated problems, experience, contacts, etc. This is something that I am really interested. Currently I am doing a degree in Business Administration but I was wondering if completing a degree in Computer Networking would give the same opportunity?

This is something that is a long term goal but it's something that I am really intersted in. So your input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

Most CIOs/CTOs I've worked with didn't know much about the technology... they just knew the buzzwords, and they knew how IT impacted business. And... that's about it, unfortunately. None of the ones I met had worked in IT and subsequently moved into the position. From what I've seen, on this side of the pond, you'd need a MS in Information Systems or an MBA with an IT focus.

 

CIO's seem to require a different kind of BS !

 

I have to admit that is my far-off aim also - CIO/CTO - so I'm taking a close interest in this thread!

 

My boss it the CIO of the company, that would be a 400+ employee company and am fortunate enough to be working under him. Of course the company I work for is a private company and our IT department isn't huge but still technically speaking he still is a CIO or VP of the IT department. This includes both the application development and desktop/networking side, basically in charge of all IT. He has his MBA in business admin and does have 10 years experience in managment, but at the same time because his major is economics he's also capable of doing finance job as well... it really makes me realize that there are many ways you can go about to become a CIO/CTO.

 

Its not surprising at all, people from accountancy, law or management backgrounds get nearly all the boardroom level positions.

You would hope the CIO was invented to try to get some technical input into the boardroom wouldn't you ? In most cases its just become another job for the guys that like to meet on the golf course.

Then again most people from engineering, science or computing want to get stuck in and get their hands dirty, they don't want to sit in meetings all day. Why spend 10+ years learning about blood cells or debugging kernels just so you can forget it all ?

 

Would an IT MBA or MBA in general be helpful working towards this point in your career?

 

Yes, it would.