The Information Technology Industry is a massive recruiter of graduates, but hires relatively small numbers of MBAs, largely into business development, internal consulting, sales and marketing functions, though a small number of MBAs do return to technical funtions. It is important to have the right combination of technical skills and to keep them up to date, which is why seeking advice is important at every stage of your IT career.
Traditional IT Careers
Hardware and software providers have always recruited for technical posts at the graduate level. The scale ranges from major providers like IBM which recruits about 500-600 graduates and up to 100 MBAs a year in the UK alone, to smaller software houses recruiting maybe one or two graduates and MBAs, often specialising in single products or small market segments such as multimedia or financial services.
Smaller companies tend to look for people with a computer science background to cut back on training. The environment in a smaller company is often more entrepreneurial and so offers broader exposure to a variety of skill sets and faster growth opportunities for an MBA. Larger companies do provide the best training, as a rule, and offer rotations in different divisions.
Systems Programming and Design
This remains largely the domian of fresh graduates, rather than MBAs. What is the point of doing a three year PhD in FORTRAN, if no commercial enterprises still use the language? The hot programming languages today are Visual basic, Java, XML, C++ but will they be hot in two years time? It is important that any would-be programmer thinks about the commercial applications of the language he/she specialises in, to maximise the benefit of the skill. A programmer’s career can progress to team management or from application programming to systems programming, analysis and design work - an MBA can facilitate this career progression, or enable a career change into general management.
Software Engineers and Systems Information Managers
Typically IT professionals working within a technical environment are required to produce a piece of software which works reliably, just as a civil engineer has to produce a bridge which doesn’t collapse. A software engineer may be involved in all stages of programme development, preparing specifications for a new system, designing it, preparing code, testing, implementing, documenting and supporting the product. A software engineer may train as a programmer, systems analyst or some other step in the process and gradually progress to oversee the full project. With an MBA he can progress further to a business development or sales role, or simply become a project manager of large scale, compelx assignments.
Systems Information Manager
The major role of these individuals within a software house is to provide the infrastructure to enable software engineers to work. The role can involve installing computer systems, or ensuring back-up systems are in place - and can suit a technical MBA. Managers often have to deal with complex technical hardware/software problems and may be asked to support the change management process within an organisation. Hence, this is usually quite a senior appointment, often a career progression for a software engineer. Salaries rise to as high as £80,000.
Project Managers
Project managers (PM) can work anywhere where teams of IT professionals work together to produce a new system or piece of software. The PM will typically control and coordinate the combined efforts of a team of programmers, analysts and designers, reporting to clients and interfacing with suppliers. It is a natural progression for a project manager to become involved in consultancy for whcih an MBA is a big plus. A PM may not need technical skills, but they often help to understand the intricacies of the project and to estimate the length and cost of the project. Salaries range from £30-£70,000 ($50-110,000) in a consulting environment.
Network Engineers
The growth of computer networks has been phenomenal in recent years. What started with Local Area Networks has progressed to global communication tools for financial services and other major industries, requiring thousands of programmers and engineers on some projects. The growth of the internet as a communication medium is just accelerating the development of network computing, leading to the integration of telephone, PC, TV, fax and other services.Cisco Systems is probably the largest organisation involved in all aspects of network computing but there are thousands of niche suppliers. Most networks today are PC based (although many mainframes are still currently in operation, these are being phased out) and many different operating systems are in use. Network experts are responsible for ensuring that all users of the network have continual access and service, without crashes bringing work to a halt. Network engineers have to understand the different aspects of hardware and software that enable the network to function. MBAs would typically look to run large teams of network engineers, or manage a business unit in which network engineers are prominent. Management salaries range £40-70,000 ($70-110,000) for this management function.
via: topmba
No comments:
Post a Comment