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.