High School

If you are interested in this career, you should start preparing in high school by taking college preparatory classes. Take as many computer science, mathematics, business, and English classes as possible. Speech classes are another way to improve your communication skills.

Postsecondary Training

Becoming a CIO requires a solid technology background and solid understanding of business. In general, companies require their executives to have at least a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree in computer science, software engineering, information systems, or business, and often a master's in business administration as well. The completion of an internship or co-op at an organization that has a chief information officer will also be extremely useful.

Other Education or Training

The CIO Executive Council offers informative workshops and webinars that will be of interest to CIOs who want to keep their skills current and stay abreast of industry trends. Past sessions included IT Skills Gap: Fact or Fiction?, Personal Coaching Styles Inventory: Leveraging Your Communication Style, The IT Organizational Structure: What Are CIOs Doing Now?, and Continuous Improvement via IT Service Management Frameworks. The National Association of State Chief Information Officers and the Society for Information Management also offer continuing education opportunities. Contact these organizations for more information.

Certification or Licensing

Although professional certification for most information systems management positions is not a requirement, certification demonstrates a high level of expertise and can increase an applicant's salary and employment opportunities. CIO.com recently identified the following certifications as providing the best fuel for career advancement for IT managers:

• Certified Associate in Project Management
• Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT
• Certified ScrumMaster
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional
• COBIT 5 Foundation Certification
• CompTIA Project+
• Information Technology Infrastructure Library
• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner
• Six Sigma Certification
• TOGAF 9 Certification

The career of chief information officer (CIO) is not an entry-level position. Large companies typically seek candidates with at least 10 to 15 years of Information Technology-related experience.

CIOs need excellent communication skills in order to sell their coworkers and staff on the information strategies that they devise. English, writing, and speech classes will help you hone your verbal communication skills. CIOs also need strong analytical skills. You must be able to carefully analyze a problem, consider several potential solutions, and choose the best one based on financial considerations, employer goals, and other factors. Other important traits include leadership ability, organizational skills, the ability to work well with others, and a willingness to continue to learn throughout your career.