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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?"
... because if you base your choice on "current" trends by the time you graduate they will probably be outdated. In Uni I have seen many who only reason to enrol in CS/IT is because of "the money", they have no real interest/passion for the subject. In my option these people will never be good developer/manager.
My advise is to select those areas/subjects you enjoy and worry about the job market later.
Codeala - Just another mindless drone
Build on your experience. We can assume you are in IT already right? Make moves toward supervisory or management roles; show interest and drive; prove that you are already capable. Just showing up one day with a MBA and some IT experience will not cut it. As you move further up the ladder the game is more political than technical. Is that what you really want?
Do you really want to be a PHB? The rewards a very different - you won't often get the satisfaction of accomplishing something yourself. Unless you like managing and directing people and helping them to accomplish tasks, it isn't for you. The only real reward is knowledge about the strategic goals of the group or company; helping others to grow and better themselves; and, if your really good, inspiring others to do things they wouldn't have done otherwise. And you are probably even more replacable, since the skillset of a manager is easier to obtain (though harder to do well) then that of a technician.
It's amusing that major companies are blindly outsourcing their businesses to companies in South and East Asia.
All it takes is an uprising in China or nuke fight between India and Pakistan, and US & European engineers suddenly become a hot commodity again.
Keep in mind that when ever you choose engineering or technology as a career, you are by default subjecting yourself to the cyclical trends that dominate that kind of industry. If you are looking for stability, be a teacher, policeman or accountant. If you want the big money that comes with the engineering & high-tech fields, accept the risk/reward ratio.
If you need to ask "How do I get into senior management?" in a forum like this, you probaly don't have the intestinal fortitude to make it past middle management.
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
I know management that got there from all disciplines and walks of life. You don't get hired into management. You start with gruntwork and slowly demonstrate your ability to lead and manage.
Most top management I know started in a small company or division that got very large. Being one of the first people there let the pyramid structure of management fill in beneath them.
If you start out in a very established company that is unlikely to grow, then you are not likely to get promoted anytime soon. Given that not many companies are growing at the moment, this puts your chances of soon becoming a high-level manager very low.
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
So basically: network within your org, and start thinking like a manager long before you need to. Figure out what kind of manager you're going to be in advance. Chose a place where you can enjoy doing all of that. And make sure you really want it. :)
Thanks, that's exactly the kind of advice I was hoping for!