Future Scope and Career Path in CSM

After the pandemic, organizations have realized the advantages of adopting Agile more than ever. So, there is a massive demand in the job market for Scrum Masters who can make departments go Agile. Also, organizations look for these professionals to increase the efficiency of teams. Also, they help organizations to respond rapidly to changing conditions in the market. When an organization has a Scrum Master on board, it means that the organization can produce better products. Above all, this professional can help organizations quicken the time of product release to the market.

The present-day job market assures that the career path of a Certified Scrum Master is fruitful. The reason is that a Scrum Master can play an indispensable role in a Scrum Team due to their responsibilities. Examples include servant leadership, guiding team members with Scrum, creating an environment conducive to the atmosphere, conducting daily Scrum Meetings, assisting Product Owners, and coaching and mentoring the Scrum Team. With these responsibilities taken care of in an organization by a Scrum Master, the career path of this professional will take the following routes.

Career Choices for Scrum Masters:

When you become a Certified Scrum Master, your career path can take you to different roles. Here are a few of them:

Agile Coach:

As a Certified Scrum Master, when you become an Agile Coach, you will facilitate the implementation of Scrum and Agile in any organization. In this role, you will guide the team members to adopt Agile and achieve success.

Organizations these days need Agile Coaches to transform their technique of doing work. As an Agile Coach, you can showcase your talents in any organization and take your career to the next level when you are entirely aware of the concept of Scrum.

Product Owner:

You can also take the role of a Product Owner in any organization. Once you deliver your duties as an Agile Coach in any organization, you might be provided the opportunity to take the role of a Scrum Master or a Product Owner. Suppose you are interested more in the end product that is being developed as against enabling and guiding the team towards accomplishing goals. In that case, you can deliver your duties as a Product Owner. As a Product Owner, you will act as a bridge between the Scrum team, management, and Stakeholders. But, to deliver your duties better as a Product Owner, you would better get the CSPO Certification.

Senior Scrum Master:

The Senior Scrum Master position in any organization will be ideal for you if you are committed to delivering the finest value and aiding your organization in achieving its business goals. You might be awarded this role if you have led many teams through key resource-intensive projects. However, to advance as a Senior Scrum Master, it would be good to spend some years as a Scrum Master. When you become a Senior Scrum Master, you will be monitoring the work of Scrum Masters, will remove obstacles, and will develop many product types in any organization.

Mentor:

Another role you can take as a Scrum Master is the role of a mentor. If you deliver your duties as a Scrum Master in different teams and contexts, you might be promoted to become a mentor for other Scrum Masters. However, you will be called an Agile Coach in many organizations when you become a mentor.

But, some organizations do not call you an Agile Coach when you become a mentor for other Scrum Masters. The reason is that an Agile Coach will just coach other Scrum Masters and teams. But, a mentor will provide complete mentoring to the teams and Scrum Masters.

Manager:

The Scrum Master is not a managerial role in itself. Nevertheless, to become a Scrum Master, you will have to master different responsibilities and skills. You will be working closely with other managers in your organization. So, in the long run, you will automatically gain interest in managerial roles. Certified Scrum Masters are generally equipped with advanced interpersonal skills that provide them the opportunity to transition into managerial positions. They know how to convince teams to work without giving direct commands or pulling ranks. When they move to managerial positions, Scrum Masters use what they learned from their previous positions to avoid using harsh commands or language with team members. 

QA Director or Development Manager:

As a Scrum Master, at some point, you might feel that you lack technical proficiency in specific areas at some point. If you feel so, you can get great fulfillment when you become a QA Director or a development manager.

Project Manager for Large-Scale Projects:

As a Scrum Master, you can also advance your career by becoming a Project Manager. When you become a Project Manager, you will be responsible for coordinating full-time employees to complete projects as per the objectives and goals your company's executives put forth. So, when you become a certified Scrum Master, you will get the chance to transmit your career path. The Scrum Master Certification will offer excellent opportunities to work in a better position in a company you are already working with. Suppose you have so far handled smaller projects in your organization as a Scrum Master, as a Project Manager, you can move on to projects where the impact, budget, and rigor of the project are considerably higher. Let us consider that you have led a team of 10 people so far. When you become a Project Manager, you can lead a team of 100 people or more. Thus, you can end up adding more value to your organization.

Chief Information Officer:

A good Scrum Master will be efficient enough to bring out the best in the team. Not only the team, as an efficient Scrum Master, you can bring out the best in the project and the entire organization. When you become a Scrum Master with a lot of experience, you can become an efficient Chief Information Officer in your organization. The reason is that as a Certified Scrum Master, you will have the commitment and passion for improving and excelling relentlessly. Most importantly, you can bring out the best in others. 

What is the Future of Scrum Masters?

Now, you know that the career path of a Certified Scrum Master can be very fruitful. Similar to other roles associated with Scrum and Agile, the future of the Scrum Master is also full of opportunities and bright. If you are yet to take up the Certified Scrum Master Course, you should remember one thing. The Scrum Master position is listed as one of the top emerging jobs in product development by the World Economic Forum and LinkedIn. Also, this role has been rated as the century's most lucrative role in the Scrum Master Trends 2023. The Scrum Master Role is here to stay.

The Scrum Master Role has helped the IT industry a lot. But, it is now available in insurance, finance, professional and consulting services, defense, media, manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, telecommunication, technology and engineering. According to the Scrum Master Trends released by Scrum.org in 2019, in companies with 10,000 employees or less, the number of Scrum Masters made up nearly 18% of the entire count of employees. From this data, you can understand the importance of the Scrum Master role in any organization. As a Certified Scrum Master, you will play a crucial role in getting rid of impediments and in Agile Transition to ensure organizational value and growth. The importance of this profession in an organization translates directly to the number of jobs. Every day, hundreds of new job listings for Scrum Master and related positions are posted worldwide. Above all, the number of organizations adopting Agile is increasing daily the need for Scrum Masters. This trend is likely to continue soon.

Average Salaries in the Career Path of A Scrum Master:

As mentioned earlier, as a Certified Scrum Master, you can become an Agile Coach, Product Owner and Scrum Coach. In the career path of a Certified Scrum Master, the average salaries earned are listed below:

• Product Owner – Around 85,425 US Dollars

• Scrum Coach – Around 113925 US Dollars

• Certified Scrum Master – Around 91000 US Dollars

• Agile Coach – Around 122625 US Dollars

Conclusion:

In short, when you become a Certified Scrum Master, you will have different options when it comes to pursuing your career. The skills you learn during the certified Scrum Master course will significantly help whether you wish to become a Product Owner, manager, mentor, or just work with more challenging teams. Asking about the career path of a Certified Scrum Master is like asking about the career route of a professionally-trained athlete. The reason is that some athletes use their previous careers as springboards for moving into broadcasting. Otherwise, some use the money they have made to begin a business. They even use their fame to get into politics. Similarly, you have different options when you become a Certified Scrum Master.