People generally do not associate an MBA degree with information technology, but within the sector, it is actually quite common to see IT leaders also possessing a business management degree. This leads us to the question: can an MBA degree really help the career of an IT professional in any way? Or is it fruitless labor that has no relevance to the software professional?
The Answer is Yes, Under Most Circumstances
The answer actually depends on your level of experience and the nature of your job more than anything else. The Master’s in Business Administration degree can have many specializations and some of them do introduce business professionals to IT technology as well. However, from the perspective of an IT specialist, such introductory knowledge is irrelevant, and they will not help them to clear technical roadblocks on their career paths.
If you are stuck in your career because of your limitations in knowledge regarding the actual, core-level work, you need to think of a more technical degree, rather than an MBA. Everything we are about to discuss next only applies when you have sufficient knowledge, education, and experience in the field of IT that you are currently working in.
That being said, IT professionals can and often do benefit from completing their MBA degrees, otherwise, the aforementioned IT leaders wouldn’t really be wasting their time on an unnecessary program. Read on as we discuss why and how a business management course can help advance the career of a senior IT professional.
You Will Become Capable of Taking Up Leadership Positions
Let’s first get into the point we have already briefly mentioned, and you can probably guess on your own. The CEOs, CIOs and Head Managers in any company usually complete their MBA before taking up a high-level leadership position. They do so because it imparts onto them what they need to know about managing the business aspect of the organization.
Without a background in management and leadership, even the most experienced IT professional will find it exceptionally hard to deal with the responsibilities that naturally comes with a management position. Just because they are established in their fields, it doesn’t automatically mean they know how to lead a business organization!
If you have a few years of experience as an IT professional already and you are looking forward to taking up an important leadership position sometime in the near future, going through an online accredited MBA program is highly advised. Kettering University offers a wholerange of online accredited MBA programs and IT-focused business degrees that will enable you to open new doors leading to promotions and higher positions up the corporate ladder.
Taking an MBA at Face Value
If we were to take an MBA at face value alone, without even delving into what is actually taught during the course, it has great significance to any professional, including IT experts. The very presence of that accredited MBA degree on your resume means that you will have a higher perceived value as an employee.
After completing the management course, you will most likely be paid better as well, but even if you don’t get a raise in your current company, rest assured that when you make a switch, your new package will be higher than it would have been had you not completed your MBA. This will be your edge when you start looking for a new job on top employment sites as many companies require an MBA degree for some vacant positions. It might seem superficial, but it’s not, as we will discuss in the next point.
Business and IT Alignment
The Android and iOS platforms are extremelyprofitable fields for software developers today since smartphones have both increased the demand for softwaredevelopers in general, as well as raised their professional value in the market. However, in order for a mobile software development company to be successful, they need to have a keen understanding of the business model around which the entire App Store and Play Store ecosystem has developed.
Everything from the concept behind the application to the development of the core mechanics and the monetization elements must be aligned with the business model behind the product or the service. As should be easy to imagine, it would help immensely if such projects were headed by senior IT professionals who knew as much about coding as they did about business, enabling them to align technology and business seamlessly.
When the ability to understand both the complexities of software development and business is present in that one individual, that individual becomes an asset, and later on a leader in the industry. This is just one example, of course, but the general ability to understand both business and IT makes aligning the two so much easier, which in turn, increases an IT professional’s value and salary by manifolds. If you thought that the MBA degree was just for show, now you know why companies actually pay more when you have it.
It Will Teach You How to Start Your Own Business
After everything we just explained regarding the value of an employee who has both business and IT knowledge, the next question to ask is, why not use all that expertise to start your own business? After all, if you already have the technical knowledge and the business experience, what is stopping you from doing so?
It’s perhaps better to gather more business experience first, rather than jumping straight into launching your own startup right after completing the business management course. Experience is extremely important, and while you may know a lot about the work, getting a few years of management experience under your belt is probably an excellent idea before going out on your own. It will also allow you to mature the concept or idea for your future business.
If you think you are ready though, you most certainly can venture into entrepreneurship with a tech startup of your own. As a matter of fact, you would not be the first one to do so either because SiliconValley has quite a history of success when it comes to tech startups.
