Date: October 24, 2022

To: Tyson Riskas

From: Kylee McCluskey
RE BUS 1010 Term Project Progress Report—Computer and Information Systems
Manager

Computer and Information Systems Manager may be a job that suits you best.

Computer and Information Systems Manager can be shortened to IT manager for convenience as

they are one and the same. IT managers have a wide range of tasks that fall under their role, but

all of them have to do with a company’s needs depending on computer technology and software.

Examples of potential tasks would be deciphering their company’s computer needs and offering

their opinions to executives. They oversee setting up hardware and software and maintaining

that it runs smoothly. Security is imperative for Computer and Information Systems Managers to

guard the company’s network and documents. They weigh the pros and cons of possible projects

by crunching the numbers to present to executives. As a Computer and Information Systems

Manager, you must stay up to date on the latest technology and know when it is time to switch to

a stronger platform or use a more efficient avenue. Deciding short and long-term goals that will

benefit the team that the Computer and Information Systems Manager leads will be an important

skill to hone. Other skills necessary for a Computer and Information Systems Manager position

are planning and directing others working in and alongside the field. Negotiating with vendors

for the best care at the best price is vital in this position (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022).

Duties will vary depending on the company you work for and the needs of the department. The

motions of the day may first look like checking for any urgent updates from throughout the

night, checking tickets for computer repairs, and then dispersing them to team members and
yourself. It is important to check in with your team and see if they need any support for their

tasks. Each day can bring in a new challenge or problem to solve, and the Computer and

Information Systems Manager works with various third parties, vendors, and customers. When

not working on the things already listed, many tasks need to be planned out, including a budget,

deadlines, and permissions. As a Computer and Information Systems Manager, you never know

when a computer system is going to crash, and you will need to spend a good amount of time

working on one problem because there are many parts to a computer that needs to run properly

for a company to thrive and all these issues can fall on the manager’s shoulders

(DigitalByteComputing, E, 2021). Stress management needs to be a top priority in this field to

be successful as this position requires the Computer and Information Systems Manager to always

be on call if an emergency arises.

The competition to become an IT manager is high and to land this role it is important to follow

certain steps to be successful. The first to discuss is obtaining a bachelor’s degree. There are a

handful of majors to decide from that could lead down the correct path for this career. Computer

network and systems administration is one major that would apply in becoming a computer and

information systems manager. Courses for this major will consist of math, business, computer

programming, and software development. Once schooling is complete you can start looking for

entry-level positions to boost your skills and develop work experience. As mentioned above it is

beneficial to network for these positions as well. As with all subjects, there is always more to

learn. Participating in multiple training courses to gain certificates to maintain and improve

knowledge and skill is what will get you into the management position. (Team, E., 2022).

The median pay for this job will vary depending on experience, qualifications, company, and

location. The average hourly pay for this job is the highest in the state of California at $95.30 and
Wyoming has the lowest average at $50.19. The average hourly wage of a Computer and

Information Systems Manager between all 50 states is $77.76, with the annual salary coming to

$161,730. These averages are pulled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics data of 2020 (How

much can you make in IT management? Herzing University, 2022). According to the site

Comparably they show the average annual salary of a Computer and Information Systems

Manager is $111,094 and the average tax filer for this amount had about 24 percent taken out in

2018 leaving $90,142 a year to take home. That would mean you would see around $3,500 per

check and $7,500 a month (Computer & Information Systems manager salary | comparably,

2022). As of right now, that lines up well with the quality of life showing that it is a good salary

against the cost of living.

The future for this career path is optimistic and increasing faster than average amongst all

occupations. The projections of this role are expected to grow 16 percent between 2021 and

2031. That is 11 percent more than the total of all occupations. It is projected that 48,500

Computer and Information Systems Managers roles will open on average per year until 2031.

Most of these openings will be a result of those that enter a new workforce and others that retire

completely (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022). As technology advances throughout all

businesses, they will need to advance to using the newest computers and computer systems. The

result of relying on computer information technologies means that they will need to hire a role

for computer hardware and software. They could need to hire their own team that will need a

Computer and Information Systems Manager, or they will need to outsource from a company

that could have multiple Computer and Information Systems Managers positions. Any business

that handles sensitive information like patient information at a doctor’s office will need extra
cybersecurity as threats increase. In 2021 the employment for this role stood at 509,100 and is

expected to reach 591,500 in nine years (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022).

As with any job becoming an IT manager comes with its pros and cons though not everyone will

have the same pro and con list when they look at what it takes to get into their desired position. I

would say that a potential con is the time it will take to get the required qualifications and

experience to get into a Computer and Information Systems Managing role. Once you do the

hard work and become an IT manager then endless opportunities will open, remember the job

openings per year and the projected career growth? Countless career paths are in need of

Computer and Information Systems Managers meaning you could start in one industry and find it

doesn’t suit you and go to another. The skills that took so much time to work on are transferable

and can be applied elsewhere. Examples include developing apps and working in finance,

healthcare, manufacturing, and most other business platforms (Site Uptime Tips, T, 2021). These

skills can also be translated into starting your own company if that is the path that you want to

take. If you want to be the owner of a company that outsources IT techs to multiple locations that

are popular in demand. Some people think that this job is one that you don’t need people skills in

and that you will only be in front of a computer screen not interacting with others but as you can

tell from the job requirements that will not be true. This job requires people skills to lead and

persuade others including your coworkers, employees, customers, vendors, and anyone else

involved in the process. This could be looked at as either a pro or a con depending on how

sociable and skilled you are. Unless you know you are a workaholic and are not interested in a

work-life balance then I think we can agree that the long and unusual hours can be perceived as a

con. As a manager in your department, you must always be on call as cybersecurity needs to be

top-notch at any hour of the day. If a problem arises, they need to be available. In addition to
being on call, being on this career path means working on upgrades or updates when everyone is

available which often means overnight or on the weekends. Other cons may be that the position

is under-appreciated, and people may not quite understand what you do but are quick to blame

the department when something goes wrong (Site Uptime Tips, T, 2021).

Computer and Information Systems management for a company like Ebix Inc. (WinFlex

Division) can have responsibilities that include continually meeting clients’ software/product

needs. Project Management, triage, development, and manage software roadmaps and design

needs. My interview with Levi Walker who works in this position has expressed his professional

achievements being designing and programming UX/UI for his clients that include Mutual of

Omaha and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, known as MassMutual. “They were

the fifth biggest life insurer in the United States in 2021. MassMutual offers a variety of

insurance products, including whole life, universal life, term life, and variable universal life

insurance. The company also offers disability and long-term care insurance. In addition to

insurance, MassMutual provides a full range of financial products, such as annuities,

investments, wealth management, and workplace benefits, to employees through their employers.

In 2021, the company earned nearly $20.2 billion in income from insurance premiums and $30.4

billion in revenue. As a result, the company had a net loss of $310 million, which decreased from

the previous year's profit of $128 million.” (McCluskey, K., & Walker, L, 2022). Walker

expressed that his passions and values are knowledge and sharing with others in a way that

makes sense and finding solutions to complex issues, which makes sense in this career path.

Outside of work his hobbies include being with family, golfing, basketball, camping,

snowboarding, skateboarding, gaming, and art.

After researching this position and conducting an interview I think the only thing left to do is

shadow someone in this position. I think if I were able to shadow someone it would give me a

great idea if it were something I wanted to pursue. Since I have not done that yet, I would like to

say that I would be a good fit for this job title. I prefer to work on computers, but I am also a

people person. I am good at leading and working with others and brainstorming ideas on how to

progress myself and a business. My dad and brother both work within these departments. They

often express how much they like it and I know that they are good at what they do. I am

currently one semester away from having my associate in science degree and about a year away

from having my business certificate. I think that puts me in a good spot to build my skills and get

another degree majoring in computer network and systems administration. Utah Valley

University, Utah State University, and the University of Utah all offer programs that will get you

into a tech career. I enjoy working on excel, access, and other organizing software. I do value a

work-to-life balance so my main concern would be the long and usual hours that come with

being an IT manager. I know it can be a stressful career choice so managing stress would be

something that needs to be worked on daily. Overall, I think I would be a great fit as a Computer

and Information System Manager as I am a quick learner and detail-oriented.

 References

Computer & Information Systems manager salary | comparably. (n.d.). Retrieved November 18,
2022, from https://www.comparably.com/salaries/salaries-for-computer-information-
systems-manager

DigitalByteComputing, E. (2021, September 5). Day in the life of an IT manager - what do

managers do?? YouTube. Retrieved November 15, 2022, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBZ6x81IdFc

How much can you make in IT management? Herzing University. (2022, January 6). Retrieved
November 17, 2022, from https://www.herzing.edu/salary/it-management

McCluskey, K., & Walker, L. (2022, November 11). What are your best work accomplishments?
. personal.

Site Uptime Tips, T. (2021, January 5). 5 pros and cons of working in the IT industry.
SiteUptime Blog. Retrieved November 17, 2022, from
https://www.siteuptime.com/blog/2020/12/15/5-pros-and-cons-of-working-in-the-it-
industry/

Team, E. (2022, August 28). How to become an IT manager. ComputerCareers. Retrieved

November 15, 2022, from https://www.computercareers.org/how-to-become-an-it-
manager/

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022, September 8). Computer and Information Systems
Managers : Occupational outlook handbook. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved
November 15, 2022, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/computer-and-
information-systems-managers.htm#tab-2

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022, September 8). Computer and Information Systems
Managers : Occupational outlook handbook. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved
November 17, 2022, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/computer-and-
information-systems-managers.htm#tab-6