Information Systems Managers may:  

Confer with top-management officers to plan strategic development and information service methodologies to achieve corporate goals  

Prepare budgets of information systems (MIS) operations using knowledge or corporate financial objectives and capital requirements  

Develop operational policies and procedures related to applications and scheduling

Establish work standards  

Negotiate purchases of computers and peripheral equipment such as those related to wide and local area networks; equipment maintenance services; software; communications services; and computer consulting services  

Confer with managers from various internal departments to develop and implement their firm's E-commerce strategies  

Provide technical assistance in setting up E-commerce payments systems, verification of transactions, encryption, and shopping cart technology  

Assign and supervise mid-level managers who are in charge of applications development, computer operations; communications/network areas, and data security administration  

Authorize the hiring and job requirements for new personnel and directing career and training programs  

Oversee the installation and operation of computer systems, work stations, and software  

Maintain a working relationship between data processing and other company departments and users to solicit cooperation and resolve problems

Monitor costs against budget and accomplishments against projects' schedules  

Manage information resources such as computer files and data bases, including data security and control and disaster recovery planning  

Remain abreast of advances in technology  

MIS Directors work in offices with top-and middle-management personnel and usually report to the company's president. They do not remain at their desks for long periods of time, but confer with other managers involved in the planning and use of hardware, software, and network systems, and software implementation.  

A recent study has shown that although the Information Systems Manager is very involved with technical and operational concerns, an increasing emphasis is being placed on more global and strategic business issues such as information planning tied to the business objectives of the organization. They may be very involved in the "people" or humanistic issues of organizations. They decide how to train staff effectively and foresee how the technology can improve the way employees do their work.

They work in various settings such as hospitals, educational institutions; scientific or research centers; financial or insurance firms; or manufacturing companies where Computer Aided Design / Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) are used.  

MIS Directors normally work a 40 hour work week. Although a work situation may dictate additional hours to be worked. Most computer centers are open around the clock, 7 days a week. Sometimes Directors are required to travel, attend meetings, and visit branch installations.  

NOTE: A Bachelor's Degree (four years of study beyond High School) or a Master's Degree (five to six years of study beyond High School) or a Professional Degree or Doctorate (seven to ten years of study beyond High School) may qualify a person for this occupation.  

The following education and preparation opportunities are helpful in preparing for occupations in this Career Exploration script:  

***SCHOOL SUBJECTS***  

0700 CAREERS , 0900 COMMUNICATIONS , 1000 COMPUTERS , 2200 MATH , 2900 SCIENCE  

***VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS***  

There are no Vocational Education Programs related to this Career Exploration script.  

Many firms hire computer programmers and systems analysts. This type of employment might be available to someone who has completed some college courses in a computer information systems program. Opportunities for experience are also available in postsecondary programs in computer information systems and military service for computer systems analysts and programmers. University placement offices frequently have cooperative arrangements for work-study programs with private industry, which are beneficial in providing experience. Students may work part-time or full-time, alternating with school semesters.  

School-to-Work opportunities include: 

Informal apprenticeships

Mentorships

Job shadowing experiences

Touring a local Information Systems Manager employer

Internships

Volunteer work with an Information Systems Manager employer

Community service work with an agency

To enter this occupation, apply to employers, take civil service exams, locate positions through college placement offices, read newspaper want ads, or contact a local office of Michigan Works!. Some associations have career information services such as, the job placement services of the American Society for Information Science and Technology.

In addition, you should access and search the Internet's on-line employment services sites such as:  

Earnings of MIS Directors vary according to the size, type, budget, and location of the firm, as well as the level of responsibility and degree of specialized knowledge and education needed for the position.

Nationally, inexperienced college graduates with bachelor's degree programs in early 2009 received beginning annual salary offers of:  

Nationally, college graduates with master's degree in computer science received beginning annual salary offers of $69,464, and with doctoral degree received $76,000 in early 2009.

Nationally, in mid 2009, Information Systems Manager in private industry earned an average annual salary of $102,700, with most earning between $89,000 and $116,800. The average annual salary for Top IT Executives in large firms was $229,500, with most earning between $165,000 and $275,800. The median yearly earnings of "all" workers in the U.S. were $37,544 in 2008. 

In early 2009, the average annual salaries for Information Systems Managers in several Michigan areas were:  

Some employers provided bonuses and/or stock option plans.  

MIS Directors often receive more fringe benefits than many other workers do. They include paid vacations and holidays; life, accident, disability, and hospitalization insurance; retirement plans and sick pay. Company cars and club memberships may be offered when the employee attains top managerial positions.  

Beginning MIS Directors might start as systems analysts or programmers. Completion of a 4 to 6 year Bachelor's or Master's degree in computer science, or management information systems is usually required to become a systems analyst.  

With technical competence, extensive work experience, knowledge of information systems technology, and management skills, systems analysts/programmers may advance from project leadership position to a top managerial position.  

The Systems Manager or project manager may specialize in several areas such as technical service, data center operations, software development, data security administration, or network management. Although the typical career ladder for this occupation involves specialized college training, some personnel with excellent managerial skills may begin in areas such as finance, marketing or technical sales engineering. However, this is less prevalent now than in earlier years.  

Nationally, about 263,700 Computer & Information Systems Managers were employed in 2006. Employment is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2016. Most large corporations and all levels of government employ Computer & Information Systems Managers. Service sectors of the economy such as banking, utilities, finance, insurance, and retailing provides good employment opportunities.  

Those Computer & Information Systems Managers with specialized skills in communications (especially local and wide area networks and integrated services digital networks), E-commerce and M-commerce, data base management, on-line transactional processing, office automation, artificial intelligence, and information center analysis will be in demand. Industrial automation will likewise offer opportunities as more manufacturing (CAM) and computer-aided-design (CAD) systems are implemented to improve efficiency and product quality.  

The industry distribution for Computer Information Systems managers looked like this: