Chief Information Officers

After they've proven themselves at lower level IT jobs, these employees begin to manage larger IT units. Eventually, some of these employees may have the business experience and broad technical background required to apply for jobs at the CIO level.

Other CIOs may find work at the executive level after making what's known as a lateral move—a move from a position in one department to a position at the same level in another department. For example, successful business administration professionals might be able to move into an information systems department as a manager rather than an entry-level database administrator. But they would still need to prove they had managed to gain the technical know-how required to do the job.

The average CIO had worked in his or her position for 5.9 years, according to a 2022 member survey by the Society for Information Management. CIOs can advance to the position of chief executive officer or other executive-level positions. Some are named to corporate boards. Others make lateral moves to the position of chief technology officer, who is responsible for an organization's technology infrastructure. CIOs can also advance by receiving higher salaries and/or moving from a small company to a larger, more prestigious employer.