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Comment by cpayne | Hacker News Reader

For us, CTO has less of a Developer focus, and more of an Operations focus.

Not that a software developer couldn't be a CTO, its just that they have less of a focus on: - Costs. Infrastructure (hosting etc.) - Disaster Recovery - if a plan isn't in place, getting one done! Then periodically testing the DR plan - Managing the Service Desk (issue raised / closed / turn around time)

(I may be reading too much into your question) but I think you are missing a step. Something along the lines of Team Lead / Developer Manager / Project Management / Software Architect.

Any developer WITHOUT several years experience in this type of role first is just kidding themselves of a CTO role.

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Definitely not kidding myself. I'm trying to develop a plan of how I should get from here to there. I'm currently a highly technical developer, recently started on my MBA, and I want to understand what are the best steps to take to get from here to there. I understand that it could take some time; hopefully something I could accomplish within the next 5 to 10 years, but I want to know how best to go about getting on this path.

You'll get different responses on the value of the MBA. From what I understand, no one cares that you "have" an MBA, but the knowledge you learn by finishing it is invaluable. So that's a good start.

I'd be thinking of your next step. Is it Software Architect, Team Leader or Project Manager?

Very different skillset. I would say you don't "have" to master all of them, but you should have a good understanding of what all 3 do and how they add value to a project.

And last, something that will come out of your MBA is the importance of sales and the ability to sell (Sales cycle, sales funnel etc.) Whether you are selling a product, selling your ability or selling the benefits of a project. Sales knowledge is something I rarely see in developers.

If there's anything else I can help with, hit me up privately. My details are on my HN profile.

Good luck!

I am on this route, perhaps 2 years further along. I just finished a 2-year Executive MBA. It definitely changed my career path (which was the point). The credentials gave me some extra confidence and firepower in negotiating into a team lead position. but as cpayne says below, the real value is the knowledge and new way of thinking the MBA carries that affects your career. It's like having a whole new set of analytical tools available to act in a situation.

It has made me a better software team leader than I would have been, and definitely set me on a path to reach the next levels of management in a company, which is my particular interest and skill set.

I vote for starting some reading of business IT. There are lots of good articles to start your reading list and which will point you towards other readings.

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