Salary of higher level techs

ProFamous

Hello all, just curious about salary expectations past entry level. I understand that salary can range because of location, however just looking for an average. For you veterans, where is the cap? I hear $150k+ is not uncommon.

Also, I am also interested in the business side as well...has anyone moved from a senior level IT position to management? Not necessarily CxO level, but still management. Did this change come with a big salary increase? More hours? More travel? How do you like this change? Etc etc.
I love both IT and business, and at the end of the day would like to get into management at a high level, looking for the path of least resistance...I would just get a Business Admin degree or something, but what company hires a fresh grad to be a manager? Which is why I'd like to work my way up the IT chain and get to management eventually. Any advice appreciated.

Just wondering, thank you for your time.

TechGuru80

Most organizations have a cap level for being a SME or senior member without switching to management. I would think that $150k would be towards the high end...it seems a lot of CCIE salary info says around that area.

Let's use a level 5 for the max for an example...I would think the conversion to management either going to a 5 as a manager or a 6 would not have a huge increase but the levels after that make it way more profitable. Depending on the organization, management positions can have profit sharing or additional bonus rewards. All depends on when you make the jump and the same company or moving companies.

Are you talking about trying to become a CEO / business manager? Are you already working in IT? If you are already working in IT then a business degree would help with business acumen where you could potentially get into management but within the IT realm. If you are working in IT and just get a business degree, you aren't getting hired to oversee the Sales team for example...so it does matter. There isn't really a path of least resistance because you are going to find difficult situations any which way. Having a bachelors + masters + certifications + experience is the least path of resistance though....you satisfy HR, IT, management, and overall look good.

TheFORCE

Salary ranges vary by positions, skills, experience, negotiations skills, certifications, degrees, locations, company , industry etc. Saying senior level techs making 150k means nothing. A desktop technician for your local school district will probably not be making the same money as a desktop technician working for a henge fund.
There's so many variations in the equations. Focus on small steps, love what you do, get the skills and experience and the money will come. Looking to get into aomething with the mindset of the path of least resistance will only delay your goals to be honest because there is no such path in the IT world.

paul78

ProFamous wrote: »

has anyone moved from a senior level IT position to management? Not necessarily CxO level, but still management. Did this change come with a big salary increase? More hours? More travel? How do you like this change? Etc etc.

I don't particularly enjoy management but it was the path that I choose very early in my career. I am told that my personality fits well as a technology leader but I do not enjoy the minutiae of administration. Senior technology management roles tend to be business centric. My experience is in financial services so I cannot comment on what it's like in other industries. But compensation is competitive. As for intangibles like hours, travel, etc. That's largely dependent on the business and the industry. I work pretty long hours. In my role, I don't travel much but when I do it's usually on short notice.

As for liking the change - I'm not sure that I remember that was a long time ago.

But as @TheFORCE indicated you cannot compare jobs solely based on title. For example, we pay our desktop techs very well, any are long tenured and have been in the company for 5-10 years.

ProFamous

Thanks for all the good info guys. And I understand that salary ranges can differ greatly, however I am asking if the gap between salaries of a senior level tech and management is great, and also how difficult it is to bridge this gap. I worry that I will get into a senior level of IT, wanting to move into management, but will be beaten by "pure" business people. I like IT of course, however I like to always have a next step to achieve and the only path after a senior level position in IT is management.

@TechGuru80, to answer your question, I am looking to eventually one day become a CEO or high level manager, and I am not currently in IT. Going to college soon and really wanting to get a bachelors in IT + MBA.

NovaHax

To answer your initial question, 150k+ is not that uncommon for specialized technical roles.

But, in most cases, there is going to be a difference between technical and management...and that gap is commonly 20k-30k...and sometimes a lot more than that. Just remember, that no matter what you make in your technical IT role, the guy that oversees you is almost always making more...and the guy that oversees him/her is making even more.

SteveLord

Majority of our SMEs make ~$90k + full benefits as state employees. There is a small handful (less than 10) of even higher senior architect type folk who make $140-$160k. Highest paid IT employees. Typically 1-2 for each specialization (servers, virtualization, databases, networking) And also the most critical/subject to emergencies, etc. They were all hired at about the same time and the state has never hired more since.

paul78

ProFamous wrote: »

... wanting to move into management, but will be beaten by "pure" business people. I like IT of course, however I like to always have a next step to achieve and the only path after a senior level position in IT is management.

That's not entirely true. There is such a thing as technology management - I,e. CTO, CIO being generally the most senior title in a technology organization. The path to technology management isn't always through being a senior IT individual contributor.

ProFamous wrote: »

... eventually one day become a CEO or high level manager...

If that's that case, an IT track may not always be the best approach. What business industry do you think you would actually want to be in - perhaps starting in a product management or business development role in that industry would suite you better.

ProFamous

@paul78, the CTO, CIO technology management roles are what I refer to as the management side; senior technical roles I see as something like a network architect. As NovaHax said, the guy that oversees you will always be making more. I understand this, and want to achieve that management level one day, past the levels of specialized tech roles.

Perhaps stating my ambition of being a CEO one day is misleading; I want to do IT for sure, but once I reach higher levels I want to be able to move into management. Whether this is Director, CTO, CIO or CEO is too far ahead for me, but I don't want a pure IT background to hinder my chances of moving to management.

paul78

Well... If you are going to have a goal, you might as well aim high

A pure IT or technology background is not going to hinder your chances. Senior management roles in technology and business are multi-dimensional and it foremost requires leadership talent and business acumen. People in those roles are valued for the judgement that they bring to the business. If you can learn and apply good business judgement and you can lead - then starting with an IT background is fine.

Good luck on your journey.

ProFamous

Thanks paul78, very good advice. Long journey ahead of me for sure.

joelsfood

Yes, it's entirely possible (and often preferable, depending on the company structure and environment) to move from a tech role into management. My former boss left the company earlier this year, and the higher-ups purposefully chose to fill his position from internal staff. Two finalist (myself and another) were both technical people, not business/management.

paul78

joelsfood wrote: »

.... were both technical people, not business/management.

That's a good point. I was re-reading the thread and one distinction that wasn't made was the level of management. Certainly for line-managers of technology teams, technology background is always more important. I should have qualified my comments.

@OP - In management, to get to a senior level role, good managers will have to develop very broad skills including sales, basic finance, product development, etc.. Additionally, leadership qualities are paramount. There are some interesting readings about the competencies that make up a good leader. Check out www.hbr.org for some examples.

Of course - this is just my view of how senior leaders develop their careers - so your mileage may vary My own development has been grounded in technology but it's the variety and avoidance of technology specialization that has been most important.