Most of us have, at some point, wondered what it would be like to be the head of our own company, in charge of a big staff and making important decisions. If you’re like most people, you’ve probably at least thought about becoming the boss, but what is it really like to hold the most powerful position in the company and really be the person the buck stops with? CFO, CIO Jobs and CE Jobs are all very desirable and powerful positions- but be warned, they come with a lot of responsibility, as well.

Normally, the CE (Chief Executive) is the person with that responsibility- they are in charge of making day-to-day executive decisions and holds responsibility for the company’s operations. They are the ones charged with making the major decisions that affect daily business and operations. A CFO (Chief Financial Officer), by contrast, is someone who is responsible for the company’s financial moves and decisions. If your interests lie more in information technology, such as hardware and software, you are probably most suited to a CFO Jobs (CIO) positions. If there is information that needs to be distributed company wide or to the media, the CIO usually has responsibility for that, as well- at least as long as the company is doing well.

Remember, though, that even though these jobs sound like they’re ideal- lots of power, freedom and responsibility- bad comes with the good; and CFO’s, CIO’s and CEO’s often have to take on unpleasant tasks such as deciding who will be laid off and which offices will be closed in difficult financial times. Of course, if you already know that having to do negative things at times is a part of the job, it probably won’t bother you as much. If you like the freedom to make your own decisions, either for good or for bad, these types of positions are for you.

It’s a relatively small job market, after all, each company would only need one of each of these individuals, but it’s steady- a company always has need of someone at the top to run things. Usually, CEO’s, CFO’s and CIO’s are required to undergo advanced schooling such as an MBA program, but with hard work and loyalty you may be promoted from within to one of these positions. If you’ve always wanted to be a high level decision maker, make sure to consider opportunities in lead positions.