Hot MBA Jobs: Computer and Information Systems Manager
For those looking to pursue a management career at the tech end of the business world, Computer and Information Systems Manager may be a promising career to pursue.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the growth rate for this job at 12 percent over the next eight years. But, are you not sure where to begin? Below, we’ve put together a guide to help you determine if this is the career for you.
What is a Computer and Information Systems Manager?
The Computer and Information Systems Manager (or IT Manager) runs the company activities related to computers and tech. They must assess the needs of an organization to determine the appropriate hardware and software to both meet demands of and enhance the efficiency of company business. In addition to installing and maintaining hardware and software, IT Managers must stay abreast of new tech developments so that they can pitch ideas to upper-management should they identify an opportunity to implement technology that would advance the company’s mission. The IT Manager also directs and organizes the efforts of the lower-level positions in the IT department.
There are different types of Computer and Information System Managers, so duties may be more specifically tailored depending on the specific title. For example, an IT Security Manager would work with the tech as it pertains to protecting an organization’s security interests.
Am I A Good Fit?
IT Managers possess solid analytical skills. People in this role need to be able accurately evaluate a company’s needs and determine which products would enhance productivity. They must also be able to analyze any tech and management issues to ensure that their department runs smoothly. They are solid, decisive leaders and creative thinkers. Communication skills are essential, as IT Managers must communicate directions to those working under them, as well as deliver presentations to higher-level execs.
In 2017, the average base pay for a Computer and Information Systems Manager, according to Glassdoor, was $106,092 in the United States.
Education and Where to Begin
The minimum degree requirement for a Computer and Information Systems Manager is generally a bachelor’s with a tech-related major. However, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, companies often require graduate degrees, and earning an MBA could prove to be a huge asset. If you are looking to pursue this title, it may be beneficial to start with entry-level tech positions in your field to gain a few years of experience before applying to a manager position.
An MBA program with a top-notch tech education may be a good place to start if you’re hoping to become an IT Manager. In 2018, U.S. News made a list of the best MBA Information Systems programs. Below, we’ve pulled some of our favorite MBAs from the list:
Sloan School of Management – MIT
It should come as no surprise that MIT Sloan tops the list of best Information Systems programs. MIT has long been hallowed ground for the technologically-inclined, so it makes sense that the school’s MBA program also caters to those with a bent toward tech, with 26.2 percent of the 2017 graduating class pursuing careers in the software and internet industries.
McCombs School of Business – University of Texas at Austin
McCombs, which has a nationally-ranked MBA in Information Systems program, is a desirable choice for the STEM-savvy. According to the McCombs employment report, 30 percent of the class of 2016 pursued jobs in the tech industry.
Scheller College of Business – Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech’ Scheller College of Business is an excellent choice for aspiring IT Managers. Forbes states, “Because many students are interested in more quantitative and technical areas, such as operations management and information technology management, Scheller is often viewed as a heavily quantitatively based program.” Roughly 21 percent of the Scheller class of 2017 landed tech-related jobs.
Leavey School of Business – Santa Clara University
For Silicon Valley hopefuls, the Leavey School of Business may be a wise school to consider. With flexible options like the Online and Evening MBA’s, Leavey allows students to tailor the program to their schedule. This may be desirable for those trying to balance internships or work and family life.
Cornell Johnson Women Turn Out in Droves at Forté Conference
Each year, the Forté Foundation hosts the two-day MBA Women’s Leadership Conference. This year’s event was held in Atlanta at Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business, and a record number of women MBA students from Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Business attended. Not only did Johnson have its most impressive conference showing to date, but it also had the second-highest number of representatives in attendance.
Forty-nine MBA students, representing a broad cross-section of Johnson’s three residential MBA programs, attended this year’s Forté conference:
- 29 from the two-year MBA program (Ithaca)
- 7 from the one-year MBA program (Ithaca)
- 13 from the Johnson Cornell Tech MBA program (NYC)
“I loved meeting Forté Fellows and conference attendees from other schools. It made the network seem smaller, less intimidating, and very empowering. Just imagine what we can all accomplish together,” said Cassiope Sydoriak (Two-Year MBA ’20).
Inside the Forté Conference
The annual Forté conference offers attendees an opportunity to explore career paths they may not have considered, hear from influential businesswomen, and meet recruiters and potential mentors.
This year’s highlights included an opening keynote from Joanna Lipman, the chief content officer at Gannet, editor-in-chief of USA Today, and author of That’s What She Said. Lipman offered actionable tips on how women can leverage their value and overcome obstacles related to the gender gap.
Other highlights from this year’s conference:
- Dialogue with Leadership: This dialogue included a panel discussion with Emory Goizueta Dean Erika James; Acceture CEO Julie Sweet; and State Street EVP and Deputy Global CIO Lori Heinel . Together, they used the panel as an opportunity to unpack their careers and offer leadership advice.
- Forté Power Pitch Competition: This capstone event allowed four newly-graduated MBA women to present their innovative business ideas to a distinguished panel of judges.
- Workshops and Panels: Multiple workshops and panels were held throughout the two-day event, which covered topics such as communications strategies, interviewing, design thinking, and the future of feminism.
To learn more about the Forté conference and get reflections from Cornell Johnson’s women MBA students, read the full article here.
Hot Jobs for MBAs: Becoming a Pricing Analyst
MBA graduates looking to apply their skills to a fast-growing and high-paying career may be interested in pursuing a role in Pricing Analysis. Named among the 100 best jobs in America by CNN, working as a Pricing Analyst is a perfect way for an MBA graduate to make use of their strong education combining skills in marketing, finance, and analytics.
With a predicted 10-year job growth of 41.2 percent and roughly 280,000 total jobs available, business students who think they might be interested this fast-growing career can start preparing while still in school through specialized study in marketing or finance. Armed with the special skills in data analysis in addition to the strong business background of an MBA, students looking to enter the field after graduation will have a competitive advantage as they begin their career.
We’ve rounded up the most important things to know about a career in Pricing Analysis to help you decide if it’s the right role for you.
What is a Pricing Analyst?
A company’s pricing analyst is responsible for figuring out the appropriate price for a business to place on a product or service. Using a variety of data and different metrics, the Pricing Analyst will determine the perfect price that will both appeal to consumers and produce an appropriate profit for the company.
Pricing Analysts must be able to track marketplace trends and implement a strategy that will benefit both the company and consumer. Someone in this role must be able to effectively communicate to a number of other departments such as supply chain, sales, marketing, finance, and be able to work with these groups in making pricing recommendations and decisions based on their analysis.
Pricing Analysts may be needed at wide variety of companies and organizations, ranging from construction companies, colleges and universities, banks and financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and more.
What Skills Does a Pricing Analyst Need?
Those who succeed in the role of Pricing Analyst typically have strong skills in mathematics, analytical thinking and problem solving. It is also important that Pricing Analysts are able to effectively communicate, as they are often required to explain their research and analysis to others in order to make important decisions.
Other skills employers may seek in a Pricing Analyst may be:
- An interest and skill working with numbers and data.
- Being a detail oriented and proactive worker.
- Have the ability to work with minimal supervision.
- Experience in back-office and billing systems and database management programs,
Pricing Analyst Salary
Pricing Analyst salaries, according to PayScale, may vary according to a number of factors, such as education, terms of the job, and type of employer. On average, Pricing Analysts can earn anywhere from $52,000-61,000 depending on their level of experience. In cities like New York and Boston, that number is slightly higher.
A recent study from Deloitte found even more impressive figures: 62 percent of respondents in a survey of pricing professionals reported salaries of greater than $100,000 and 83 percent of respondents said they were also eligible for an annual bonus.
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MBAs For Pricing Analysts
While most MBA programs do not offer a direct concentration in pricing analysis, a number of programs still provide specialized pricing education through other departments, like finance and business analytics. Below are just a few examples of pricing-related courses available at some of the top MBA programs in the country:
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Scheller College of Business – Georgia Institute of Technology
The Scheller College of Business offers a course in pricing strategy as part of their Business Analytics MBA concentration. The course, marketing Analytics and Pricing Strategy, helps students gain skills in making effective pricing decisions through the understanding of important economic and analytical concepts associated with customer behavior and competition.
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The Wharton School – University of Pennsylvania
FNCE717, or Financial Derivatives, at the Wharton School focuses students on making strategic corporate decisions, particularly when it comes to pricing. Students will learn several different approaches to pricing and how to apply such skills for investment and risk-management.
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Rutgers School of Business, Newark and New Brunswick
The MBA program at Rutgers’ Newark and New Brunswick location offers a class in Supply Chain Pricing Strategy. The course recognizes the importance of pricing in driving profits and the extreme negative impact poor pricing decisions can have. Students will learn how to approach pricing from both a strategic and tactical level and be able to apply it to a number of fields and industries.
Do You Actually Need an MBA for the Job?
While an MBA is not necessarily a requirement of all Pricing Analyst jobs, it is by far the most common degree held by those in this role. According to the aforementioned Deloitte survey, 43 percent of respondents held MBA degrees, while just 26 percent—the next highest percentage—held undergraduate degrees in business. Earning an MBA and demonstrating specialized coursework in pricing will give those in the field a competitive edge and open the door to higher level management positions in the field.
Tuition Cost vs. Starting Salary: Atlanta
One of the most important things a prospective MBA can look for when choosing a business school is the program’s return on investment. Return on investment, or ROI, is the most common profitability ratio, and an easy way to determine if an MBA is “worth” your time and money.
According to a recent review of 129 schools from U.S. News & World Report, graduates from a third of the institutions earned an average starting salary and bonus of more than $100,000, with the overall average for all schools coming in at $91,940. MBA Class of 2015 graduates typically left school with just over $50,054 in debt, according to the same data.
Most business schools publish employment records with average salaries for different industries, so prospective MBA students can use these numbers to project future salaries. Lucky for you, we’ve compiled these figures some of the Atlanta metro‘s premiere business schools.
The Atlanta MBA Return on Investment
Clark Atlanta University School of Business
A full-time MBA at the Clark Atlanta School of Business requires 60 credit hours of study, which totals up to $53,220 in tuition. Other costs also apply, including $1,008 in annual fees as well as books and supplies. To save some money for sibling students, Clark offers a Sibling Discount to a biological or legally adopted sibling currently enrolled at Clark Atlanta University. Siblings will receive a 33.3 percent discount after submitting a copy of both birth certificates, parent’s federal tax return and a simple application.
According to employment statistics provided by the school, MBA graduates earn an average base salary of $79,000 with a signing bonus of $12,250. Most graduates took marketing/sales jobs (59.7 percent), with finance/accounting (29.7 percent), human resources (7.4 percent), and operations (7.4 percent) following behind. In order to help place MBAs, the Atlanta University Center Consortium Career Planning and Placement Service (AUCC CPPS) offers students career planning and placement resources, plans on-campus recruiting events and hosts a database of contact information for over 1400 corporate, government and educational partners. They also host several on-campus recruiting sessions and career fairs.
Eugene W. Stetson School of Business & Economics – Mercer University
Full-time MBAs at Mercer’s Eugene W. Stetson School of Business & Economics pay $818 per credit hour, with total tuition for the program coming to $29,448 with some additional minimal costs, such as a technology fee. Students can visit the university’s Office of Student Financial Planning to receive updated financial assistance information, including information on federal student loan programs.
According to U.S. News, Mercer MBAs earn an average base salary of $57,500, with 23.8 percent of full-time graduates employed at the time of graduation. Mercer students can visit the Office of Career Management Services on the Macon or Atlanta Campus to receive specialized career guidance, job search, internship search, résumé and cover letter assistance, developing personal brand information, interviewing information, and salary negotiating.
Goizueta Business School – Emory University
Students enrolled in Emory University’s Goizueta Business School two-year, full-time MBA program pay a base tuition of $59,000 per year, while those enrolled in the one-year program pay about $89,500. These cost account for tuition only, so students must consider additional expenses for textbooks and other fees. To offset some of these costs, financial assistance is available in the form of Federal Stafford Loans, graduate plus loans, private loans, international student loans, research and assistantships, merit-based scholarships, fellowships from the Goizueta Business Fund for Excellence and fellowships at various constituent centers.
According to Goizueta’s most recent MBA employment report, the school’s alumni are among the top for post-graduate employment nationwide, with nearly 95 percent of students receiving job offers within three months after graduating and an average full-time base salary of $113,295. Goizueta Business School’s Career Management Center (CMC) offers assistance to full-time MBAs in their job search. Students can receive professional development and interview training within both core and elective courses, preparing students for both the internship and job search processes. Most Emory MBAs were offered post-graduate employment following an internship (56 percent), with another 19 percent getting job offers thanks to School Scheduled Interviews.
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Scheller College of Business – Georgia Institute of Technology
Tuition costs for Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business full-time MBA students are about $29,232 a year for Georgia residents or $40,180 a year for out-of-state residents, as well as $2,010 in mandatory fees. Financial assistance is available in the form of federal loans, graduate assistantships, and a limited number of fellowships.
According to the school’s MBA Compensation Overview, 95 percent of Scheller MBAs are employed within three months of graduation. These students are paid an average starting salary of $108,088. Meanwhile, 90 percent of graduates earn a signing bonus, which average to the amount of $15,830. Scheller MBA students are guided along the path to employment at the Jones MBA Career Center, where they learn about opportunities for internships and employment through one-on-one advisement, an eight-week career development workshop, self-assessment tools, interview preparation, and a series of conferences and career fairs
Terry College of Business – University of Georgia
Terrt’s in-state students pay about $15,670 in annual tuition, including student fees, for the Terry College of Business‘ full-time MBA. Non-residents pay $34,378 per year, including student fees. The school also awards approximately one-third of its students with graduate assistantships to help make the program even more affordable. Some students may have their tuition drastically reduced per semester, get 40 percent of their student health insurance premiums paid by UGS, and receive a monthly stipend for working 13 hours per week in the Terry College of Business. Additional scholarships are also available, such as the Terry MBA Leadership Scholarship. Given out during the spring semester, the scholarship awards between $1,000 to $2,000 to a student who has shown promising leadership skills.
According to the school’s MBA Employment Statistics, 90 percent of University of Georgia full-time MBA students receive a job offer within three months of graduating with an averaging starting salary near $90,250. Terry helps its students gain employment at the MBA Career Management Center (CMC), which helps students and graduates connect with networking events, information sessions, interviews, and much more.
Georgia Tech Scheller EMBA Ranked Among Best in the Country
The most recent rankings from the Financial Times places Georgia Institute of Technology Scheller College of Business‘ Executive MBA program among the best in the U.S.
Each year, The Financial Times compiles a list of the top 100 Executive MBA programs throughout the country, evaluating each program on a number of important features. Among the top business news organizations in the world, Financial Times determined their ranking through alumni surveys that looked at factors such as career progression, international reach, salary growth, and faculty credentials.
“I am pleased that the Financial Times has recognized Scheller College EMBA program’s commitment to our students and their achievements,” Scheller Dean Maryam Alavi said of the ranking. “The EMBA program excels in developing business leaders who are innovative, entrepreneurially minded, analytically skilled and who succeed at the intersection of business and technology.”
In the 2017 ranking, the Scheller EMBA was recognized as the top Executive MBA program in Georgia and the 15th best program in the United States. For facilitating career progress, the program was named second best in the U.S. and seventh best throughout the world.
The EMBA program at Scheller is nationally recognized for its career development program, which offers 1:1 coaching and advising, as well as providing many opportunities for executive networking and development workshops. The program, which takes 17-months to complete, offers specializations in the fields of Global Business and Management Technology. The program is offered exclusively on weekends, allowing up-and-coming professionals to continue their careers while earning their degree.
Your Search for Atlanta’s Best Accelerated MBA Programs
Most folks pursuing an accelerated MBA know which industry or area of concentration they want to pursue. They are MBA candidates who want to advance their current careers, not switch them. Others choose the accelerated route because it can be difficult to leave two years of work and salary. Continue reading…
