My Colorado Journey
Back to pathway map
Information Technology

VP Technology, CIO, CTO, CEO

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as electronic data processing, information systems, systems analysis, and computer programming.

Annual openings

1,253

BLS median wage

$199,420

Typical education

A minimum of a Bachelor's degree, plus work experience

10-year growth

+16%

Career requirements

What does this career require?

The education, credentials, and on-the-job competencies Colorado employers expect for this role.

Typical education

A minimum of a Bachelor's degree, plus work experience

Credential requirement

Getting certified can usually help you get a job – however, it’s important to understand which certifications employers want to see on your resume. You can do this by looking at current job postings to see what certifications employers are requiring.

Work experience

Two to five years as a Computer and Information Systems Manager or Lead Software Developer or Architect, or significant experience in a related occupation.

Remote work

Some companies (information technology companies for example) and jobs (such as call center support) offer the opportunity for staff to work remotely, including from rural locations. To see if a job offers this opportunity, please review job postings from job banks such as ZipRecruiter, Indeed or ConnectingColorado, and look for key words such as "location independent", "remote", "virtual", "telecommute", "flex" or for companies posting the same job in many locations.

Is this work a fit?

What the work actually feels like

How people in this career tend to spend their time, the interests it draws on, and a look at a typical day.

Automation exposure

Low exposure

Tasks here lean on judgement and people skills that are hard to automate.

A typical day

  1. Direct daily operations of department, analyzing workflow, establishing priorities, developing standards and setting deadlines.
  2. Meet with department heads, managers, supervisors, vendors, and others, to solicit cooperation and resolve problems.
  3. Assign and review the work of systems analysts, programmers, and other computer-related workers.
  4. Provide users with technical support for computer problems.
  5. Develop computer information resources, providing for data security and control, strategic computing, and disaster recovery.
  6. Recruit, hire, train and supervise staff, or participate in staffing decisions.