What Does IT Management Entail?
An IT manager’s roles and responsibilities combine technical knowledge with managerial skills. Simply put, they supervise electronic networks and maximise profits through technology. They ensure a complementary relationship between technological and business strategies. It is one of the most sought-after profiles among people who have completed an MBA in Information Technology.
An IT manager can be expected to take care of not just IT or computer systems but also phone systems. An IT manager’s role extends to strategising IT-related expenditure and hiring and training members of their team.
Job Descriptions of IT Managers
An IT manager has many responsibilities to fulfil. From strategy to research and analysis and from security to negotiations, an IT manager is expected to be good at a range of skills. Some of the job descriptions of an IT manager are as follows:
- Managing IT requirements and delivering IT projects is a part of IT project management.
- Building relationships and negotiating with third-party IT vendors are among an IT manager’s responsibilities.
- Managing server issues, software installations, and upgrades also come under an IT manager’s duties.
- Identifying and implementing IT-related developments for the organisation’s betterment is a key responsibility of an IT project manager.
- Budgeting IT expenditure is also an IT manager’s job.
Why Should You Become an IT Manager?
If you’re planning to pursue an MBA, suitable jobs that require an MBA must be on your mind. The options are plenty, but with an MBA IT course, you can go for one of the most rewarding jobs in the industry. Here are a few reasons why becoming an IT manager is a good idea:
1. Lucrative Career Option:
With the national average salary being over ₹10 lakh per annum, the IT manager’s role is quite lucrative. An IT manager’s salary and growth opportunities make it a good job profile.
2. The Job Offers Challenges:
It is an established fact that technology rapidly changes. That means being an IT manager will come with various challenges and opportunities to grow.
3. High Demand for IT Managers:
Various industries, including healthcare, are constantly looking for IT project managers. You can find a job as an IT project manager after your MBA IT course.
4. Amazing Growth Opportunities:
As an IT manager, you will experience the potential for upward mobility. IT project managers go on to become IT directors and even chief technology officers.
Skills You Would Need to Become an IT Manager
There are various skills you would need to learn and develop in order to become an IT manager. Having an MBA in IT Management is certainly helpful; however, a combination of some hard and soft skills can better your chances. Here is a list of the skills that a resume for an IT project manager should feature:
- Budgeting and forecasting IT expenses
- Managing and delivering various IT projects
- Supervising the entirety of the company’s information systems
- Engaging in software development/engineering
- Managing staff across the IT team
- Strategic planning of project delivery deadlines and task delegations
- Ensuring the security of information systems
- Leadership and ownership while dealing with team projects and senior management
- Solving problems that may arise at the job regarding IT security
- Researching and analysing existing problems and new growth avenues
- A collaborative personality that will help one work effectively with various people
- The ability to properly communicate one’s ideas to senior management
How to Become an IT Manager
In order to become an IT manager, you must have a relevant degree in fields like computer science and information technology. You can choose from a number of undergraduate and postgraduate courses that teach IT management skills.
Undergraduate Admission
Several undergraduate courses can help you enter the field of IT management. In order to pursue a bachelor’s degree in IT fields, you must study science with maths at the 10+2 level. The most common way to become an IT manager is by studying B.Tech or B.Sc with a Computer Science or IT specialisation. Other than that, you can go for relevant diplomas and certificate courses too.
For enrolling in B.Tech programmes, you should attempt the common entrance exam known as the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE-Main). Based on your JEE Main score, you can opt for an engineering college and upon graduating, become an IT manager.
B.Sc courses can be pursued at any recognised Indian university, such as the University of Delhi. The admission process can involve attempting entrance exams like Indraprastha University Common Entrance Test (IPU CET) and the Central Universities Entrance Test (CUET). You can even opt for a three-year Diploma course in Computer Science or IT after the 10th grade.
Postgraduate Admission
Even though a postgraduate degree isn’t essential for becoming an IT manager, it does add value to the resume of an IT project manager. Postgraduate courses, PGDM in IT management and an MBA IT course can set you on the path to a fulfilling career as an IT manager.
To get into a reputed college for an MBA IT course, you can take any of the multiple entrance exams held in India, including the Common Admission Test (CAT), Management Aptitude Test (MAT), and Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT). The eligibility criteria to take these tests is that you must have a bachelor’s degree (in any stream) with an aggregate of 50% marks.
Apart from these top MBA entrance exams, you can even pursue an MBA IT course by enrolling in MBA IT distance learning. Premier institutes such as Narsee Monjee, Amity University and Sikkim Manipal University offer distance MBA programmes, including MBA IT distance education. Pursuing an MBA degree online will allow you to keep working while you study.
What are the Courses Required to Become an IT Manager?
You can choose from a range of programmes that offer the knowledge, training, experience, and exposure required to become an IT manager. Here are some of these courses:
IT Manager Job Specialisations
Certain job specialisations within the IT field can help you establish a successful career. If you are already a working professional who wants to turn to IT management, these specialisations can be useful for you. However, this does not go to say that people who aren’t a part of the workforce won’t benefit from them. Find below the list of IT manager job specialisations:
1. Digital Investigations:
Also known as digital forensics, digital investigations entail finding and examining data. The application of this specialisation can be found in criminal court cases. Digital investigation is a high-growth field with many job opportunities.
2. Cybersecurity:
With businesses being vulnerable to cyber attacks at any point, cybersecurity is an in-demand skill. Cybersecurity professionals ensure the digital security of organisations.
3. Data Analytics:
Data analytics involves examining big data to produce meaningful patterns that can be used for predicting things like user behaviour. It is currently one of the most sought-after skills in the IT field.
4. App development:
Mobile and web apps are becoming increasingly useful in our largely digital world. An app developer codes to develop functional applications for mobile or desktop. This specialisation also offers the opportunity for creativity.
Course Fees
In India, IT management courses are offered in multiple private and public institutions. Here is a summary of the average fee structure across Indian universities and colleges for IT management courses:
IT Manager Scholarships
To help students pursue their dream of becoming IT professionals, many public and private organisations in India offer scholarships. Here are a few of the top ones:
INSPIRE sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology
Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students (CSSS)
Dhirubhai Ambani Scholarship Programme
Aditya Birla Group Scholarship
StudentLoans
IT Management courses are technical; therefore, they are generally expensive. To help students afford higher education in their field, many financial institutions (including public banks) in India provide student loans. There are also organisations like Propelld that offer private loans to students to finance IT management courses.
