Benefits of a Technology Management Certificate Online

While employers in every field prize the highly specialized knowledge that technological professionals bring to the table, it is not software engineering or C++ programmers alone who have built empires of killer applications. Rather it takes a whole team of engineers, developers, testers, programmers — and the managerial staff — to meet business objectives in a timely, deadline-focused matter.

Technology Management Certificates Online

To learn the specific techniques necessarily to succeed in a technology management position, one convenient option may be to consider a technology management certificate online. Without the lengthy time or transit commute usually required of on-campus courses and/or bachelor or graduate-level programs, you could learn from the comfort of home. Though many technology management programs will vary, at a minimum most may cover foundational topics such as Information Technology (IT), software engineering and development, databases, project management, software lifecycles, and more. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job prospects in information technology management are expected to grow 17 percent through 2018.*

Because Information Technology (IT) is so intertwined with business, many online courses may also be devoted to the relationship between the two. For example, curriculum may cover topics like leadership, technology forecasting, project planning, budgeting, road mapping technologies to market demands, as well as how to build technology project portfolios that cover projects in development or use. All of this is considered critical to building competitive advantages, while carefully heeding the theoretical foundations of technical subject areas like computer science, computer-aided drafting, electronics, and more.

More important than the ability to create or use new technology is the ability to ask and answer the question: "What value does this new application or software bring to our company — or our clients?" and "Should we invest in this new technology — or remain with the standby until a more opportune time comes?" That is why many technology management programs may also encourage critical thinking in the arenas of integrated planning, design, optimization, testing, quality control, and the use of statistics to calculate ROI or risk.

* The preceding information was obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) online resource, "Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition," available at: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos258.htm