There are two main reasons why an ITIL certification can maximize your career and earning potential. Firstly, as a best practice methodology, ITIL certification means you can optimize service both on a daily level, and long term. Secondly, as a scalable framework, ITIL can bring tangible benefits across a wide variety of sectors. That means the skills you learn will be applicable to countless career opportunities. If you’re considering an ITIL certification, here is just a selection of potential career paths for you.
Information Technology Project Manager
- Average Entry Level Salary: $70,000
- Median Salary: $84,662
ITIL was created to meet a demand for the integration of IT and business best practice, manifesting itself in the role of information technology project manager. The role entails co-ordinating staff from a variety of departments and uniting them under long-term business objectives, to be fulfilled through the successful completion of projects.
Through a qualified understanding of the ITIL Service Lifecycle, IT project managers will learn how to see a project through from inception to completion. This involves devising service strategies in line with business goals, overseeing their implementation in daily operations, and driving continual service improvement.
Information Technology Manager
- Average Entry Level Salary: $59,000
- Median Salary: $82,695
An information technology manager supervises their company’s IT infrastructure, including network technology, software platforms, data storage and IT security. They will design procedures for IT management and oversee their daily implementation. Furthermore, information technology managers are normally responsible for maintaining the efficiency of online communication channels. Finally, information technology managers are usually responsible for hiring, supervising and training IT employees, so project management skills are highly desirable.
The ITIL Service Lifecycle is on the cutting-edge of the ITSM industry. As such, an information technology manager will design strategies in line with service demand, and research new upgrades or technologies to be implemented in their department.
Service Delivery Manager
- Average Entry Level Salary: $60,000
- Median Salary: $86,113
- Average Salary with ITIL Skills: $96,132
A service delivery manager creates strategies that fulfil the expectations of customers and stakeholders. These strategies are defined as Service-Level Agreements (SLAs). SLAs break down company objectives into projects and day-to-day operations. As the individual who acts as the link between projects, clients, and business resources, it is the service delivery manager who monitors and reports on service productivity and efficiency.
Service Delivery was a process within ITIL Version 2. The task was described as “ensur[ing] that binding rules for the operative processes are in existence.” With the introduction of the Service Lifecycle in ITIL Version 3, service delivery now falls under the domains of Service Strategy, Service Transition, and Service Operation.
Senior Project Manager
- Average Entry Level Salary: $93,000
- Median Salary: $110,454
An ITIL certification can help learners with significant experience advance further up the career ladder. Maintaining a commitment to best practice, in an ever changing field such as ITSM, will demonstrate suitability for a senior project management position.
Senior project managers play a fundamental role in creating business-wide strategies and maintaining efficient daily operations. Less experienced project managers will report to senior staff, to ensure that their projects are in line with predetermined business goals. Subsequently, senior project managers will communicate with key stakeholders to update them on project progression.
Information Technology Director
- Average Entry Level Salary: $69,000
- Median Salary: $111,894
- Average Salary with ITIL Skills: $118,000
The role of information technology director is a late-career opportunity for those who wish to consolidate years of experience with a certification in ITIL, as an ITSM industry standard-bearer. Whilst project managers and information technology managers will carry out their duties in line with company goals, the creation of these goals are forged under the leadership of the information technology director.
An ITIL certification will supplement candidates’ considerable knowledge of IT with the communication skills required for a director position, as the role involves negotiating business change and service strategies with external and internal stakeholders.
Considering how an ITIL certification will help your journey up the career ladder and boost your potential earnings, an ITIL course is undoubtedly a worthwhile investment.
Online Foundation courses for ITIL cost from just $129, with quotes for courses that combine both eLearning and an intermediate multi-day workshop available on request.
For more information about how ITIL can benefit your organization, and to access its extensive range of IT resources, please visit our ITIL training website.
All salary information has been provided from Payscale.com