Who is an IT Manager?
IT managers play a crucial role in the infrastructure of an organisation. Without them to lead the team of IT professionals, the software and hardware infrastructure of the company are at risk. Without smooth functioning infrastructure, it is near impossible for employees to work on a day-to-day basis.
They also ensure the smooth functioning of an organisation by monitoring the status of software. Updates are made on a regular basis and new software and hardware are added based on the organisation's requirements.
IT managers also play the important role of hiring and monitoring an effective team of IT professionals. In a new organisation, an IT manager defines the IT infrastructure and plans the path forward for the organisation.
What is an Information Systems Managers Job Description?
There are several tasks which are a part of an information systems manager’s job description:
1. Research
An IT manager must be up-to-date with all the new systems on the market and research the appropriate one for the organisation.
2. Plan and Budget
Planning and budgeting are important parts of any organisation's structure. An IT manager must guide their team to create a plan to fulfill all the infrastructural needs of the organisation. They must also budget and understand which software would be appropriate to purchase and use.
3. Guide their Team
IT managers work with a team that they must guide and mentor regularly. They are also tasked with training their team and hiring new staff if needed.
Skills Needed to Be an IT Manager
An IT manager must have certain skills to perform their job well. These include:
1. Strategic Thinking
IT managers need to use their industry and technical knowledge to think and plan the organisation's needs strategically. They must plan based on the organisation's needs and goals.
2. Strong Communication Skills
An IT manager works with a team and hence must have strong communication skills. They must also create plans, organisational structures, and presentations to share with management.
3. Management and Leadership Skills
As it is a managerial position, an IT manager must have a strong sense of management and good leadership skills. They must be able to lead their team and offer guidance for the way forward.
Benefits of Being an IT Manager
There are many benefits to becoming an IT manager:
- It is a managerial position and allows an individual the chance to climb the corporate ladder.
- The role is in demand and hence companies offer lucrative salary packages.
- IT managers have the option to also work as freelance consultants without being bound to one organisation.
How to Become an IT Manager
The field of IT management is an interesting one. In order to become an IT manager, aspirants should ideally study a computer related course at the undergraduate level. As it is a managerial position, it is also recommended that the degree be followed by an MBA.
Admission
Below are courses that interested aspirants can pursue to become an IT manager:
Entrance Exams
Here are the particulars of some of the entrance exams needed to get admission into the above courses:
- JEE-Main (Joint Entrance Examination Main)
- MHT CET (Maharashtra Health and Technical Common Entrance Test)
- TAN CET (Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test)
- GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering)
- IPU CET (Indraprastha University Common Entrance Test)
- AP PGECET (Andhra Pradesh Postgraduate Engineering Common Entrance Test)
- BHU PET (Banaras Hindu University Post Graduate Entrance Test)
- CAT (Common Admission Test)
- MAT (Management Aptitude Test)
- XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test)
- GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test)
Specialisation
The role of an IT manager is in itself a specialised field which is high in demand. However, once an individual gets into the role, there are some specific fields they can work in, if they should choose to. Some of these fields include cybersecurity, digital investigation, and network administration and management.
Fees
The fees for the various courses to become an IT manager are as follows:
Loans
Banks across the country offer students loans for their higher studies with interest rates as low as 7.5%. There are also organisations such as Propelld offering 100% digitised private student loans
