ITSM degrees, careers and how ITIL certification helps

The role of the IT professional evolves continually. Firms have ceased handling IT as a commodity and are now viewing it from a strategic perspective (Source). This calls for a change on the organizational level - change in the form of increased transparency, better communication and increased alignment of IT with the business. IT has changed from a set of disparate entities to the common link that brings different aspects and units of the business together. In such an environment, technical skills alone will not suffice. Firms are on the lookout for managers with significant technical expertise, and preferably with a relevant educational background.

With more and more firms shifting from a traditional technology-based approach to a customer-oriented ITSM approach, a plethora of career opportunities now exist in the field of IT Service Management. One such role is that of the ITSM consultant, who typically reports to senior-level management staff at a firm. The ITSM consultant manages the set-up of new SM processes, their design, definition and documentation, establishment of related performance indicators and metrics, execution of SM improvement projects, improvement plans based on gap-analyses, training, change management and quality management. The ITSM consultant's responsibilities move across the spectrum of IT to encompass a wide variety of tasks. The individual needs to have sufficient technological expertise and education. Hands-on experience in a service environment, in particular, is of the essence.

Other lucrative careers for business technologists in ITSM include the roles of Support Analyst or Specialist and Service Desk Manager. The Specialist acts as a Subject Matter Expert who possesses in-depth knowledge of a specific SM sub-domain, while the Analyst serves as a point of contact for service desk customers. The Analyst addresses issues and handles requests. The Manager handles the operations of the Service Desk and oversees the activities of the Support Analysts and other Service Desk personnel.

With such promising roles coming into existence, ITIL certification becomes a necessity as opposed to an option. ITIL helps professionals to develop their IT implementation and management skills in an organizational set-up. The certification results in additional validation of one's knowledge and experience by a reputed group resulting in increased credibility. This in itself serves as a powerful psychological driver that motivates and boosts the confidence of the average professional to a significant extent. It also results in a greater sense of personal brand value, accelarated career growth, and most importantly - skills to exceed expectations in the professional environment, translating to increased workplace productivity. itSMF and ITIL also provide that much-needed platform to build a network and enable one to be better connected with colleagues and industry peers. It helps address customer needs and also aids professionals in understanding which specific area their interest and expertise lies in.

The education industry in recent times has made the distinction between IT and ITSM, resulting in a number of undergraduate and graduate degrees in ITSM springing into existence. Along with technical subjects and programming languages, students study topics unique to ITSM like incident management, problem management, change management, release management etc.

References and sources for additional reading:
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Prepared and posted by Hamsa Mukund, MSIS, Class of 2012