The logical Career Path way into Senior Management

StussyNz

Hello all;

I am very curious in finding out; What is the logical career path to progress into a Senior Management position? (General manager, CIO level)

Since joining the IT Profession and working my way from the bottom (Service Desk) to where I am currently (Network Engineer) i am starting to get more of an interest in management and would like to know/obtain some advice on how to progress down this route. With this in mind I have some of the following questions which some of you "senior" members might be able to provide some input on:

- What are some of the qualifications/certifications which could help one progress into senior management?
- How many years of experience are required for these sort of roles?
- If hoping to progress into "Senior" management; Does it pay to work for larger/well known companies.
- Does international experience/exposure help in progression in management (exposure to different markets globally)?
- What are some tips to be able to land the "first managerial" role - Ideally the first role in any field (Networking,Systems,Security,Management) is always the hardest..

I've only been in the industry for 4 years since graduating from my degree; However, like most other young 20 year old's I am career hungry and want to progress all the way to the top

paul78

There's really no secret sauce to being an effective leader. To answer your specific questions:

Qualifications:
Being a self-motivated and motivating leader is paramount imho
Most qualifications tend to be intangible. I personally belief that having a well-rounded technical background helps.

Years of experience:
It depends. Some people are tend to gravitate to management positions. I entered management in my earlier 20's for whatever reason.

Working for large companies:
I have no idea. I have a mixture of large companies and startups. I think the variety makes me a little unique.

First role:
I think that will vary. My career started in software engineering. And my first management role was managing software engineers.

It sounds like you want to be in management - that is the first step. Not everyone wants to be a manager.