How do you become a CEO or a VP of a company?

Question

Is this really nothing something worth aiming for or is it just a fantasy or dream? What should I be doing now so that I can have a good position 10 or 15 years from now?

Answer 1

The best way is to stay in one career path for a good length of time.

If you change career paths during your career (change from engineering to Information Technology, or vise versa), it prevents you from having many years of experience in the same career, and may also communicate to others that you are "undecided" about your chosen career path.

Secondly, you should continue to educate yourself.  This education needs to be in three areas:

1) Professional education -- This area improves your ability to perform your job/task, and is specific to your career.  It may be a technical course (for engineers), or a course on negotiation (for sales).

2) Scholastic education -- Getting a bachellors or masters degree will help your ability to get promoted.  The education will help build a foundation for moving up.

3) Social education -- In order to manage/mentor other employees, you need people skills.  This is something that usually can't be taught via a class -- it's something that you have to learn on your own.  To become a leader, you need to learn how to get people to follow you.  Leaders don't lead because they bark orders -- they lead because people WANT to follow them (you must know someone who you really respect and would follow without question -- that's a true leader!)