CTO salary and career guide for Software Engineers

CTO salary and career guide for Software Engineers

How much is the average CTO salary?

In the US the average CTO salary is $220,000. In comparison, in the UK an average CTO salary is £90,000 (equivalent to $120,000).

What does CTO stand for?

CTO stands for Chief Technology Officer.

What does a CTO do?

A CTO is responsible for making the best technical decisions for a company to please its customers and grow the business. The CTO leads the Software Engineers within a company and is the highest ranking technical employee. A CTO will have a close working relationship with the CEO and report to them. They will also work with and oversee Lead Software Engineers.

Can I be a CTO without a degree?

Yes! Not having a Computer Science degree or any other degree for that matter is not a barrier to becoming a CTO. Read how Karl went from a self-taught developer to CTO without a degree.

What does CIO stand for?

CIO stands for Chief Information Officer.

CIO vs CTO - what's the difference?

A CIO is responsible for the internal software development processes of companies. They have a focus on improving the productivity of software developers. For instance, they could find ways to automate repetitive tasks.

A CTO has a more outward-facing position withing a company. CTOs have the task of making the best software decisions which will appeal to current and future customers.

What is a fractional CTO?

A fractional CTO is someone who works as a CTO in a part-time capacity. Instead of working 5 days a week they will work fewer days than that. This can be for a number of reasons. The company may not need a full-time CTO or they may not be able to fund a full-time position.

How to become a CTO?

A roadmap to becoming a CTO is to go from being a Software Engineer to taking a Lead Engineer position. After gaining more leadership experience it is possible to become a CTO. A CTO must have excellent communication skills in order to manage Software Engineers under their supervision and work well with the CTO.

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About the author
Pete Codes

Pete Codes

Hey, I'm Pete and the creator of this site. I am a self-taught web developer and I'm based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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