Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

ICT system administrator to software manager

An ICT system administrator already meets 22% of what the software manager role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From ICT system administrator
22 % overlap
Distant match
To software manager
9 You already bring
17 Still to learn
48 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance A rebuild

80.9/ 100

1 How much of what a software manager is expected to do is already part of an ICT system administrator’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the software manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A software manager role treats 6 of its required skills as things an ICT system administrator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • apply ICT system usage policies
  • apply system organisational policies
  • digital systems
  • organisational policies
  • quality assurance methodologies
  • systems development life-cycle

What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A software manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ICT system administrator background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held apply ICT system usage policies assisting and caring
  • already held apply system organisational policies assisting and caring
  • already held interact with users to gather requirements communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held ICT system user requirements information and communication technologies (icts)
  • already held organisational policies business, administration and law
  • already held digital systems information and communication technologies (icts)

All 9 carried skills, including the 6 the software manager role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 39 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 information skills 4 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn evaluate cost of software products required
  • still to learn manage data required
  • still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required
  • still to learn monitor technology trends required
  • optional, not held analyse ICT technical proposals optional
  • optional, not held identify ICT user needs optional
  • optional, not held monitor ICT research optional
02 information and communication technologies (icts) 3 required, 5 supplementary
  • still to learn data storage required
  • still to learn software metrics required
  • still to learn unified modelling language required
  • optional, not held Android (mobile operating systems) optional
  • optional, not held BlackBerry optional
  • optional, not held iOS optional
  • optional, not held mobile operating systems optional
  • optional, not held trading software optional
03 management skills 3 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn define technology strategy required
  • still to learn manage ICT project required
  • still to learn manage business knowledge required
  • optional, not held manage software localisation optional
  • optional, not held manage schedule of tasks optional
  • optional, not held manage staff optional
  • optional, not held manage tender processes optional
04 working with computers 3 required
  • still to learn analyse software specifications required
  • still to learn use an application-specific interface required
  • still to learn use ICT ticketing system required
05 business, administration and law 2 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn ICT project management required
  • still to learn ICT project management methodologies required
  • optional, not held Agile project management optional
  • optional, not held Process-based management optional
  • optional, not held lean project management optional
06 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 7 supplementary
  • still to learn create software design required
  • optional, not held use methodologies for user-centered design optional
  • optional, not held apply conflict management optional
  • optional, not held coach employees optional
  • optional, not held give live presentation optional
  • optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
  • optional, not held provide user documentation optional
  • optional, not held train employees optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a software manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 9 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held apply ICT system usage policies skill
  • already held apply system organisational policies skill
  • already held digital systems knowledge
  • already held organisational policies knowledge
  • already held quality assurance methodologies knowledge
  • already held systems development life-cycle knowledge
  • already held ICT system user requirements knowledge
  • already held interact with users to gather requirements skill
  • already held use different communication channels skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 assisting and caring 1 required
  • still to learn ensure adherence to organisational ICT standards required
22 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held analyse ICT technical proposals optional
  • optional, not held manage software localisation optional
  • optional, not held Agile project management optional
  • optional, not held Android (mobile operating systems) optional
  • optional, not held BlackBerry optional
  • optional, not held Process-based management optional
  • optional, not held iOS optional
  • optional, not held identify ICT user needs optional
  • optional, not held lean project management optional
  • optional, not held mobile operating systems optional
  • optional, not held monitor ICT research optional
  • optional, not held trading software optional
  • optional, not held use methodologies for user-centered design optional
  • optional, not held apply conflict management optional
  • optional, not held coach employees optional
  • optional, not held give live presentation optional
  • optional, not held manage schedule of tasks optional
  • optional, not held manage staff optional
  • optional, not held manage tender processes optional
  • optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
  • optional, not held provide user documentation optional
  • optional, not held train employees optional
51 held skills the software manager role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role Apache Tomcat knowledge
  • not needed by the target role IBM WebSphere knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ICT accessibility standards knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ICT infrastructure knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ICT recovery techniques knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ICT system integration knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ICT system programming knowledge
  • not needed by the target role acquire system component skill
  • not needed by the target role adjust ICT system capacity skill
  • not needed by the target role administer ICT system skill
  • not needed by the target role automate cloud tasks skill
  • not needed by the target role cloud monitoring and reporting knowledge
  • not needed by the target role cloud security and compliance knowledge
  • not needed by the target role cloud technologies knowledge
  • not needed by the target role domain name service knowledge
  • not needed by the target role engineering processes knowledge
  • not needed by the target role execute integration testing skill
  • not needed by the target role hardware components knowledge
  • not needed by the target role implement ICT recovery system skill
  • not needed by the target role implement ICT risk management skill
  • not needed by the target role implement ICT security policies skill
  • not needed by the target role implement a firewall skill
  • not needed by the target role implement a virtual private network skill
  • not needed by the target role implement anti-virus software skill
  • not needed by the target role implement spam protection skill
  • not needed by the target role information security strategy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role install signal repeaters skill
  • not needed by the target role integrate system components skill
  • not needed by the target role interfacing techniques knowledge
  • not needed by the target role internet governance knowledge
  • not needed by the target role interpret technical texts skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain ICT system skill
  • not needed by the target role manage changes in ICT system skill
  • not needed by the target role manage cloud data and storage skill
  • not needed by the target role manage system security skill
  • not needed by the target role manage system testing skill
  • not needed by the target role migrate existing data skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor system performance skill
  • not needed by the target role network engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role network standards knowledge

11 further entries not listed here

13 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn ICT project management required
  • still to learn ICT project management methodologies required
  • still to learn data storage required
  • still to learn software metrics required
  • still to learn unified modelling language required
  • optional, not held Agile project management optional
  • optional, not held Android (mobile operating systems) optional
  • optional, not held BlackBerry optional
  • optional, not held Process-based management optional
  • optional, not held iOS optional
  • optional, not held lean project management optional
  • optional, not held mobile operating systems optional
  • optional, not held trading software optional
Index

Other moves recorded from ICT system administrator

Full index of moves from ICT system administrator

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an ICT system administrator become a software manager?

Yes, and it is a career change move. An ICT system administrator already covers 22% of what a software manager is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 6 of which the software manager role treats as required.

What skills does an ICT system administrator need to become a software manager?

17 required skills are missing, plus 22 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is evaluate cost of software products.

How hard is the move from ICT system administrator to software manager?

Its learning distance is 80.9 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.