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Career Rating and Comparison
| Category | This Career | All Rated Careers |
|---|---|---|
| Career Satisfaction |    | |
Degrees and Schools
Many four-year institutions offer bachelor's degrees in computer science, management information systems (MIS) or information science. A Master's in Business Administration with emphasis on technology is usually preferred by employers of computer systems managers, and can be obtained with an additional two years of study at a college or university.
Vocational schools and community colleges also offer computer-related associate's degrees, which may be sufficient for employers when combined with work experience and/or professional certification.
Classes
Students pursuing an undergraduate degree or MBA that will prepare them for a career in computer systems management divide their time between classroom and computer lab. They also work on team projects and collaborate with local businesses through internships and research projects. Common courses include:
- Computer science theory and application
- Software development, programming and engineering
- Systems design, networking and security
- Database management
- Mathematics and statistics
- English and communications
- Finance and accounting
- Management, business and marketing
Online Classes and Programs
Programs that offer bachelor's and master's degrees in computer-related fields through e-learning are some of the most well-developed on the Web. Some programs are offered by Internet-based schools, while most are offered by universities and colleges that have campuses.
Online courses should be part of an institution with accreditation from agencies approved by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or United States Department of Education (USDE).
Employment Requirements
A bachelor's degree in information science, computer science or management information systems (MIS) is usually the minimum requirement for computer systems manager positions, although many employers prefer candidates with MBAs that focus on technology. With sufficient work experience and/or professional certification, an associate's degree from a trade or vocational school may be sufficient for some positions. In these cases, the employer may assist the employee in obtaining their bachelor's or master's degree during their employment.
In addition to the proper academic background, computer systems managers are expected to have professional certification in specific software and technology used on the job, as well as a minimum of several years of computer science and business experience. They should also be good leaders with excellent communication skills.
How to Evaluate Computer Systems Management Schools
Here are some questions to consider when comparing computer-related degree programs:
- Degree field - Does the degree align with specific career goals? For example, if the student is interested in information systems more than networking, he or she may wish to consider an MIS rather than computer science.
- Course availability - Are there a substantial number of courses available in specific areas of interest? Are business courses available as well as IS courses? Are the courses difficult to get into?
- Learning technologies - What school-related tasks are students able to complete online? How many courses are available via the Web? Are computer labs well-equipped with enough workstations to support demand?
- Accreditation - Is the program affiliated with or part of an accredited school?
- Location - Is the school located in a major technology center such as the Silicon Valley in California or Denver / Boulder, Colorado, where internships and job opportunities may be more plentiful?
- Tuition and financial assistance - Does the school provide an abundance of resources to help students find financial support, such as student loans, scholarships, grants and work study?
- Career searching - Does the program offer job placement assistance? Are desirable employers well-represented at career fairs? What kinds of jobs do graduates of the program have now?
Computer Systems Manager Job Description
Every business relies on technology for their day to day operations, and computer systems managers make sure the right technology is in place and performing well. Typical responsibilities of computer systems managers include:
- Interviewing managers of departments to determine their technology requirements
- Working with business leaders to establish organizational goals for growth and capability
- Researching the latest software and services to prevent potential problems
- Planning for the purchase and implementation of technical solutions
- Overseeing software development, Web and network connections, and security
- Supervising programmers, software engineers, systems analysts and support specialists
- Coordinating the installation and maintenance of software and hardware
- Designing systems and overseeing their installation
- Creating and maintaining websites for the public and for employee use
In addition to these general responsibilities, Chief Technology Officers (CTO) evaluate innovative solutions and determine how they can be best implemented. They weigh the costs against the benefits, and analyze how the solution will bring profit after a large investment. CTOs also establish technical standards and processes and write security policies, working with Chief Information Officers (CIO).
Information Technology (IT) or Management of Information Systems (MIS) directors make sure that information is available and secure for users in the organization. They oversee IT employees, identify and uphold performance standards, and manage the implementation of projects.
Project managers in IT identify requirements, manage budgets, and coordinate schedules for projects - overseeing the process from development through implementation. They interact with their organization’s IT employees, clients, consultants and vendors.
Computer systems managers often work long hours, and they can work all hours of the day and night. They frequently travel or work remotely to manage issues at other locations.
Career Profiles
To help career searchers evaluate their options, BrainTrack has asked hundreds of workers to profile their jobs with a review and ratings. See below for a summary of this career compared to all rated careers and for detailed reviews.
| Category | This Career | All Rated Careers |
|---|---|---|
| Career Satisfaction | | |
| Opportunity for Promotion | | |
| Career Flexibility | | |
| How Cool Is The Career | | |
| How Stressful | | |
| Social Orientation | | |
| Earnings Potential | | |
| Task Variety | | |
| Job Security | | |
Job Title: Information Technologies Manager
Attended: University Of Phoenix • Phoenix, AZ
Studied Information Technology (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 1/23/2012
"My job pays the bills and keeps me fairly interested. I, however, would not give it a higher rating than 5 because it does not have a lot of room for growth."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 3 | The University of Phoenix's program had very little to do with my current position. The only value to the courses was making the pertinent information fresh in my mind. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 4 | I began my position as clerk and have since climbed the latter to be a member of the management team. I have been successful at furthering my career, but I think I am at the top of my potential growth within the organization. |
| Job Security | 7 | Michigan has a declining market and the business I am working for is growing. This gives me fairly good reason to believe that my job is secure. |
| Earnings Potential | 3 | I make a little less than $50,000 a year currently and I have been with the organization for 10 years. My earning potential, without looking at increases in the cost of living, does not go any higher than $80,000. |
| How Stressful | 7 | This business functions productively only when I've done my job satisfactorily. When there is any kind of a technical issue, it falls on my shoulders to correct, which greatly compounds the stress. |
| Task Variety | 5 | Everyday new tasks and issues are presented to me. This really breaks up the monotony of sitting in front of a computer screen. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 1 | At my job I am viewed as a computer nerd. I believe that stigma is related to the job title, so "coolness" is not very high. |
| Career Flexibility | 2 | HIPAA security largely dictates how my organization works. This means that the company would need to make a significant investment to increase its flexibility. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | I socialize with people on a day to day basis. The majority of my face to face interactions happen because people need to learn how to repair something on their computers. |
Job Title: Director Of IT
Attended: Santa Monica College • Santa Monica, CA
Studied Perl Programming (completion in 2002)
Highest relevant degree: Certificate
• Submitted: 1/28/2012
"I've been doing mostly data crunching for the past 10 years. Starting to get repetitive and old."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 4 | The classes were very basic. Since it was a community college, the courses didn't dive too deep into the advanced stages of programming. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | I have a wide range of experience in many different fields. Programming, Networking, etc. |
| Job Security | 10 | I've been at the same job for 12 years now. I started in data entry and moved my way up the company to where I'm running the IT department now. |
| Earnings Potential | 9 | If you're great at it, it can be very rewarding. Even if you're just okay, you can get by in a working environment. |
| How Stressful | 7 | When things are going well, it's pretty smooth. When a new bug comes about that's crashing the entire system, it's very hectic. |
| Task Variety | 3 | In my job, I typically write the same type of applications with only minor variations. One day it'll be statistical reports, the other days it'll be data conversions. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 3 | Not very cool. Many, many hours of debugging. Not much to write home about. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | I currently work from home 80% of the time. Living in Los Angeles enables me to have many opportunities for new jobs. |
| Social Orientation | 1 | All of us work from home. We rarely see each other and only communicate via Skype or on the phone. |
Job Title: Chief Information Officer
Attended: Oakland University • Rochester, MI
Studied Computer Science (completion in 1989)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/26/2012
"My rating can be explained by the fact that software engineering, as a discipline, can be rewarding by the fact that we create something that does not physically exist but normally performs some tangible function. The downsides to this career are the stress induced by short timelines and the requirements for precision."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | Oakland University has a good computer science program but does not utilize enough real life scenarios. They should partner better with industry to provide a more robust, practical experience for the students in the program. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 4 | Software engineering has one avenue for advancement - getting into management of software development. To advance into management you need an additional set of business and human resources skills that are not taught as part of the engineering disciplines. Therefore, additional education is required, normally an MBA type program. |
| Job Security | 5 | The problem with software engineering is its ability to be outsourced. I am competing on a global scale for projects that can be completed at much lower cost overseas. |
| Earnings Potential | 9 | For now the earning potential is very good, $85K-$125K depending on the types of systems you are working with. The downside is that it continues to be a very competitive field and I believe that off shoring of projects will continue to limit the earning potential in the future. |
| How Stressful | 8 | On your average day, the stress level is comparable to any other production position. However, when you are up against a hard deadline and the system is not working the way it should, the stress is incredible. |
| Task Variety | 5 | The variation of software you design is impacted by which field you specialize in. If you work developing business systems, most projects seem to blend together. If you work in R&D, aerospace or some other tech discipline, you have a more diverse set of tasks to complete. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | At this time any engineering position is somewhat 'cool.' There is a 'nerdy' affiliation with anything computer related, however. If being a software nerd was cooler, it would be perfect. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | As a software engineer, I have the flexibility to work when and where I want. The only restriction is to meet the production deadlines and budget limitations. |
| Social Orientation | 3 | The social interaction of this job is limited to collecting requirements and interfacing with your peers. Other than that, there is little social interaction with others to get the job done. |
Job Title: VP Technology
Attended: Merrimack College • North Andover, MA
Studied Computer Science (completion in 1996)
Highest relevant degree: Certificate
• Submitted: 1/29/2012
"I'm making a lot of money doing what I like to do. I get to make a lot of important decisions about the direction of the company and there is strong potential for growth at my current job."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | It's been a while, but from what I remember they did a good job getting me ready for the real world. I was able to pick up a job right out of college. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 1 | I'm the most senior technical person in the company. There's no where else for me to go. |
| Job Security | 4 | I work for a very small company. If we hit a bad patch and are unable to get work for a period of time, there's a strong possibility that the company will go under. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | I make a good base salary and I get additional money based on how the company does. I'm also part owner of the company in case it gets sold. |
| How Stressful | 5 | Because I work for such a small company, there is a lot of pressure on me to get things done. If I don't do stuff... it just doesn't get done. |
| Task Variety | 5 | Tasks vary every couple of months generally. It depends on the scope of the project, though. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 2 | My company does a lot of work with GIS data. There's nothing cool about mapping data, really. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | I can work from home, if I desire. If I need to leave early or come in late because of some reason, it's never an issue. |
| Social Orientation | 2 | My company is kind of spread out around the country, so I end up working alone a lot. This obviously limits social interactions, though skype helps. |
Job Title: Manager Of Security And Networking
Attended: Berry College • Rome, GA
Studied Communications/Business (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/1/2012
"I am somewhat satisfied because I have only begun. However, I do not like dealing with the bureaucracy of a school system."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | My professors had practical, real-world training. However, they were not particularly well-known or famous. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | I have a few opportunities to be promoted, but the only options include presiding over the entire IT department for our system or working directly in the central office, and I don't know if I want to be sitting behind a desk all day. |
| Job Security | 6 | I can only assume I have as much security as my co-workers. In this economy, who is really safe at their job? Especially considering that I only started a few months ago. |
| Earnings Potential | 6 | It is very fixed for us in education, even the IT department. So, I could do better, and I will make more money progressively. It won't be a large amount, however. |
| How Stressful | 2 | Unless there is a massive virus outbreak or someone starts stealing equipment, I don't see how it could be very stressful. We work on similar problems from day to day so it's easy to anticipate and prepare for those issues. |
| Task Variety | 3 | It is typically a similar day to day schedule. We don't have to do much more than updating antivirus and rewiring the occasionally bricked desktop computer. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | I work for a school system so it loses some cool points automatically. Other than that, it isn't too bad. I get to work with the latest in computer technology, PC, Mac, Linux, etc. I get to work with them all. |
| Career Flexibility | 5 | It is a fixed schedule. When everyone is on vacation, so am I, unless I need to come in and install some teacher's new InterWrite board. |
| Social Orientation | 6 | I have to interact with people to find out their problems sometimes, so I interact on that level. I also have to teach people sometimes how to use or operate a piece of software or hardware. |
Job Title: Chief Technology Officer
Attended: SBCC • Santa Barbara, CA
Studied Pharmacology (completion in 2008)
Highest relevant degree: Certificate
• Submitted: 3/2/2012
"I love my job, but I work too many hours (testing out platforms like Mturk in the middle of the night)."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 2 | They didn't have an official major at that campus--I would have had to continue at UCSB (fortunately, my career took another path). |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 1 | I have an exec. level position w/ an equity plan... can't get promoted much higher than that (w/o taking out the CEO anyway!) |
| Job Security | 9 | The company I work for can't operate without me--I make them too much money and keep the cogs moving. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | There's an inherent cap on earnings with our current service offerings. But that's why we constantly look for new avenues to pursue and incorporate them into our business. |
| How Stressful | 9 | I work 6-7 days a week; 10-14 hours a day. The business is always expanding so there's never time to take a break or go on vacation. |
| Task Variety | 9 | Of course I have the usual cyclical (mgmt. related) tasks... Fortunately, consulting for clients across a wide array of industries keeps things interesting (and challenging). |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | I don't think anyone else thinks my job is as interesting as I do. (I know my fiance doesn't.) |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | I work from home 6/7 days a week... the fact that I work a min of 6 days a week prevents me from making calling it a 10. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | Does social media count? Just kidding. Although I work from my home office most of the time, I'm Skyping with employees and clients several times a day. |
Job Title: Database Manager And Head Of Web Development
Attended: Bradley University • Peoria, IL
Studied Computer Science With Database Administration Emphasis (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/5/2012
"The pay is good. I am very happy about the tasks that I am assigned at work. I enjoy what I do, and aside from rare circumstances, my hours are wonderful."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | Some of the professors weren't the greatest. The department's resources were up to date and easy to access. Some of the curriculum (such as the Assembly courses) were irrelevant to most modern programming positions. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | I have received several promotions already, and as far as I can see, I have gone as far as I can go with this employer. I have been put in charge of a web development department in addition to my original position working in databases. |
| Job Security | 8 | As long as I don't destroy anything precious, there is no reason for me to be terminated. The only real reason that my current employer would get rid of me is if I stopped coming to work, which I wouldn't do. |
| Earnings Potential | 5 | I make enough money to live comfortably. Since taking on the web development position in addition to database work, I make enough to afford pretty much any luxury item I feel I might want, within reason. |
| How Stressful | 5 | When I have a lot of work to do, it is easy to get behind. Managing other people also has a certain level of stress associated with it. One of my bosses is kind of a stickler for company policies, which can make some things more difficult. |
| Task Variety | 1 | I pretty much do the same things every day. The only things that change are when new systems come in or when employees are changed. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | When I tell people what it is I do, they rarely know what a Database Manager does, and I can make it seem like a very cool thing to do. Also, having the term "Head of" in your job title makes you seem important. |
| Career Flexibility | 7 | I have remote access to some of the systems on site, so working from home is possible, if limited. My schedule is decently flexible, and I get a decent amount of vacation time and sick days. |
| Social Orientation | 7 | I manage a group of people in both of the departments that I am involved in, and I consider them to be both my friends and my workers. I have also developed a large social network and contact network of people in the field outside of my company through connections I've made. |
Job Title: CTO
Attended: University Of Idaho • Moscow, WA
Studied CS (completion in 2009)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/6/2012
"Work for myself, which is very satisfying."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | The school provides an excellent educational background in CS. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | I work for myself, so there is no opportunity for promotion. | |
| Job Security | 10 | My current job is very stable and so is the profession. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | It's a high income profession and there is plenty of opportunity for consulting work. |
| How Stressful | 10 | Long hours, and there is always high pressure to perform. |
| Task Variety | 9 | Every new project brings a whole new set of development challenges, so tasks vary greatly based on what I'm trying to accomplish. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | Startups and development are very hip/cool right now. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | Highly flexible hours. However, there is lots of work. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | I spend a lot of time working on a computer, so social interactions don't often happen. They do only when working I'm with clients or other developers. |
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