What Qualifications Do You Need to Become a CTO?
Becoming a Chief Technology Officer is a goal that has no fixed career path. The great advantage of this is you can choose your technical career in the way you want and still end up as a great CTO in the future. However, there is also a lot of confusion about how to get there because there is no clear path. So let’s see an approximate method that fits into the career journeys of almost all the CTOs so you have a general idea of how to get there.
- Complete your Bachelor’s in Computer Science or Information Technology. This is the absolute basic as most CTOs have at least this many professional qualifications.
- Start your career in a technical role such as Software Developer, Programmer, Systems Analyst, etc. to understand how the real tech world works.
- Pursue further education after some time in the industry. You could complete an MS in a technical field or go for an MBA.
- Get a higher-level job in the industry with leadership potential. Move through the ranks until you become a senior executive at the company.
- Keep abreast of the latest technologies and how your company has integrated them into the business environment. Improve your leadership skills in preparation for getting the coveted CTO role in the company!
How to Become a Chief Technology Officer?
Technology is becoming more and more important for all companies, no matter what sector they are in. In today’s times, when companies need software for daily use and cybersecurity for protecting their information, then by default it pushes a focus on technology whether that’s the company’s primary job or not. A company may be a financial firm, a media house, or even an entertainment firm (like Netflix!) but technology is still extremely important. And thus, Chief Technology Officers are a crucial part of the company.
But there is still a big confusion as to what is a Chief Technology Officer. Everyone has heard of Chief Executive Officers and there are some pretty famous people in the tech world (Steve Jobs and Elon Musk come to mind!) But how are CTOs different? And what are their responsibilities in a company?
Research shows that it takes a lot of hard work and loyalty to a company to become their Chief Technology Officer, with 39% of CTO’s infamous Fortune 100 companies getting this role after working more than 16 years at their company. But what does this role entail? Let’s find out!