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How to Become a PHB?
Vagary asks: "There have been quite a few discussions about becoming a system or network administrator or developer, but in light of recent outsourcing trends it seems prudent to aim for something a little less expendable. What is the ideal education (eg: Master's in CS, MBA in Tech Management?) and entry-level career path (in light of today's job market) to become upper-level IT management such as a CIO or CTO?"
How to Get to Be a Manager: Longevity is probably the easiest route. Eventually you'll get to a spot where there's an opening and you'll have an opportunity to move up. If it doesn't appear to be in the future in your company, then consider looking elsewhere. Most places looking for managers will say "the ideal candidate will have 4-6 years of management experience." Well, that's nice, but until he comes along, here you are with X years of technical leadership, project management, team leading, etc. Don't lie but if you've lead teams of people, etc. then you probably are as good as the next bloke.
Don't fret about qualifications, etc. Sure, at some point someone will say "what do you think the residual value of this asset will be in three years and would you recommend lease or buy?" At that point you'll say "I don't understand" and go out and learn.
How to Succeed at Being a Manager: Management requires a radically different skill set than being a programmer or sysadmin. I spent 7 years in Unix sysadmin, rising to Senior Admin, then moved into management. As a techie, your skills are all technical, with some project management and communication (written, presentation) to round you out. As a manager, it's the reverse, with the emphasis on communication and project management, with a whole galaxy of people-management skills and financial skills thrown in.
The technical part of being a manager is not complicated. Go read some books or take some extension courses. The basics of accounting, budgeting, project tracking, etc. can be quickly learned. Focus on leadership and people skills. That's the heart of management. The rest is just details.
If you are serious about management, then get an MBA. Be aware that means the full shot: accounting, economics, marketing, etc. There are some quality all-internet programs (Penn State, Arizona State, Auburn, etc.), or executive MBA programs. People with MBAs are not usually managing technical groups, though - they're senior managers or moving towards the executive ranks (or doing financial analysis).
The "soft" skills you'll need are a lot more difficult - negotiation, handling employee problems, building consensus, resolving disputes, etc. What do you do when someone is underperforming? How do you measure it? Etc. It all sounds easier than it really is. Then there's leadership...both in doing it and taking responsibility.
As a manager, you will interact a lot more with non-technical people. You also may not like it - do you like going to meetings now? If not, forget management - you might be in meetings all day (meetings seems a constant regardless of organization).
In closing...techies have long sneered at managers, but frankly it's just as challenging a career path as pure technical paths. I divide managers into those that "get it" and those that don't. Most of those who "get it" are people with technical backgrounds who later went into management.
Advice: on VPS providers
There's no one way, the path to becoming CIO for a Fortune 500 company differs considerably from the path to be CIO for a small organization, or in the public sector.
Speaking for myself, I did systems administration while I was in school, went to Library School and came out with an M.S.I.S. with a focus in database design. I spent some time in a big corporation as a sysadmin. Then saw a great job as a UNIX admin at a Public Television network associated with a University. In a small pond, it was easy to parlay very very very hard work and my degree into my current IT Director/CIO/CTO position.
The thing that made all the difference for me was that from day one I didn't hide in my cube with my nose stuck to an X-Window, I volunteered for everything, and showed my very real interest in the entire organization. I got to know people in every department even though I technically didn't have to do any user support at all. Now, that's what I look for in "management material." Everyone I hire can "communicate well" but the ones who might take my job someday are the ones who see how their jobs relate to what the organization is trying to do, and who tell me how they can support those goals better. Prove to the existing management that you understand technology but can also translate it into achieving business goals, and prove that you think of IT as the means, not the end.
The other thing I managed to do right, I articulated my management philosophy clearly in my interviews. (I've interviewed management candidates who simply cannot tell me what a manager is for!). I told the interviewers in no uncertain terms what I think good managers do, proving that though I had exactly zero previous management experience, that I wouldn't dive in without a clue. For reference, if the interviewers want to hear a philosophy involving squeezing the most out of staff...run. IMHO, management is about supporting your staff, providing them with resources, defending them from abuse, protecting them from distraction, and making resource demands incessently to provide whatever motivation each person needs (far more than "salary" in most cases).
So I guess I suggest picking the kind of organization you want to go to, seeing what kind of qualifications they look for in a PHB, and really loving and believing in the places you apply. (you'll need to, a good PHB works more hours than her subordinates). Then go outside your job description and prove that IT can make things better, not just more expensive. And all the while, think about the best and worst bosses you've ever had and come up with hiring and retention strategies, and a solid management philosophy of your own (I never read a management book) and be ready to articulate it, then to live it.
Realize this though, once you're a PHB, you will not have time to be a technologist anymore. What's more, your staff will see it as unwelcome micromanagement. If you can't give up the root passwords, then don't become an executive. You'll only hate it. Satisfy your technical cravings at home.
My $.02
~
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." -Emerson
Take every ethics course your university offers.
Take your business theory courses.
Then you know what to violate.
Unfortunately, that seems to be the way to become a manager in this world.
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Someone who is going to be a senior manager or business owner doesn't need to be told that -- they just do it.
That's the difference between the guy running a company and the guy sitting in a cube.
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK