A computer engineering student asked me whether he should pursue a technical career or transition into management. Having done both, here's my perspective.
I spent about 10 years as a department and project manager. Eventually, I realized that managing people was no longer something I enjoyed, so I stepped away from all of my management roles. For the past 15 years, I've been an individual contributor while continuing to mentor engineers, but I'm no longer responsible for their performance.
Despite that, I recommend that everyone spend at least a few years in a management role. It gives you valuable experience that is very difficult to gain any other way. Volunteering for responsibilities beyond your formal role and building strong relationships with people will increase your chances of moving into management.
When you become a manager, you get to see the other side of the curtain. You gain a much better understanding of how things actually work, and you realize that employees can be quite biased or unfair too. You learn more about yourself and about other people, develop an appreciation for different perspectives, and become more diplomatic in how you deal with others.
A good manager doesn't just do things right, they also make sure the right things get done and say no to work that doesn't make enough sense. You will learn that saying no is much harder than saying yes because you have to deal with the pushback. By ensuring that the right work is carried out with high quality, you create a multiplier effect that improves the performance of everyone on your team. As an individual engineer, you might be able to double your own productivity. But if you can increase the effectiveness of a team of ten people by 50%, your overall impact is far greater.
At the same time, don't neglect your technical skills. If you ever decide to step away from management, maintaining your technical expertise will allow you to return to an engineering role. If your technical skills become outdated, your career options become much more limited.
Of course, it's not easy to be both a good manager and a good engineer. Excelling at both requires more effort than most people are willing to invest, and it's only possible if you're genuinely interested in them.
A realistic take on the subject: Waltzing with Bears
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