What kind of college courses in a liberal arts setting should I be taking if I want to be CTO for a health plan, health system, or third party adminstrator someday?
Aside from the obivous courses in computer science and economics and manegment, what other courses should I take to become a more well rounded/versed contender? #college #technology #computer-science #career #healthcare
3 answers
Rod’s Answer
I have been a CTO in a couple of knowledge management companies and have advised a couple of health care organisations. Being a CTO is a very interesting position. You need to be on top of the technology of your business but you are also senior enough to need to be concerned about the strategy of the business and how the top team works together to deliver the mission.
So you are right to focus on being well rounded. There are lots of ways of getting the right skills and experience. College is just a part of the answer.
Rod recommends the following next steps:
Hello, thank you for your thoughtful answer. However could you say more?
As for:
- " follow your passions, be sure about what interests you and then get involved in stuff" - my primary passion/reason for being is finding ways to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for everyone given the fact that I was an intern for a Healthcare Third Party Administrator (TPA) for an entire year. Are there ways, to get involved on campus when there is'nt something on campus like this for me to get involved in?
Bryan
-"So you are right to focus on being well rounded. There are lots of ways of getting the right skills and experience. College is just a part of the answer. " - So, how specifically can I maximize my time in college to work on being well rounded? Can you be more specific on the other "parts of the answer" to "getting the right skills and experience"?
-"Volunteer to develop your skills" - What types of places to volunteer at can develop "CTO skills" the most?
- How and when do you "understand how to contribute as a team member and when to step up and lead!"?
Bryan
Hello Bryan,
Lots of good questions. As a CTO you need technology skills, strategy skills (including understanding the way the health care world works) and people skills. Technology and the way the health care world works will have moved on by the time you get to be a CTO. Developing people skills takes time and you can start now. So when I mention follow your passion and get involved, I am thinking outside your primary interest of health care. So what are your other interests: sport, arts, music, culture, history or social or political issues? Decide what you would like to pursue and get involved and pick courses that help you in your chosen area. Opportunities for team work and leadership will naturally evolve. Just lean in and get involved.
Rod Hyde
Kabeer’s Answer
Follow your passion and explore what energise you. You set your long term goal as CTO and connect the dots to drive towards this dream.
Hello, thank you for your answer. However, I have a question, how did you "connect the dots to drive towards your dream"?
Bryan
Brian’s Answer
1. You're not going to graduate and immediately become a CTO.
2. Most CTO's work their way up on the technology side and then move into a CTO position in their field.
3. Therefore, really think about what your path to CTO would be. Where do you start? An analyst? A Project Manager?
4. The fastest way to get to being a CTO is to start your own tech company or a company you start with parnters - if this is your goal then I would focus much more on entrepreneur classes.
5. The road to the CTO of a large company is long if you are trying to tart off at an entry level and work your way all the way to the top.