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  • #2140984

    Career Advice. Stay or Go || Engineer vs Manager

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    by $hortcircu1t ·

    Hello. So I have what is for me a really tough decision to make. I have been postponing this decision for some time now but have now gotten to the point where I have to make a decision. I am a very indecisive person by nature (not good) and tend to analyze everything to death (good).

    So my dilemma is this. I am currently a Software Engineer in a company where financially our future is uncertain. Due to covid19 we last our biggest client and other things also did not go in our favour. We are currently exploring other avenues but these are not ascertained and we will probably only know their success in 3-4 months from now

    Out of the blue, I was approached by one of my former employers who are now looking to fill the Development Management role and have offered this position to me. This is now a more management role than a development role and something I see as progression in my career the question though is it something that I will enjoy. I have always wanted to try my hand at management. I have been an engineer for 20 years plus and if I am being totally honest am a bit tired of it and also find that my skillset in terms of programming is not as relevant as it used to be

    I have held Team Leader positions in the past and quite enjoyed the challenges this came with and see Development Management as a natural progression from this

    So my question is this. Do I stay where I am as an engineer and hope that the company pulls through or do I take a chance on a Development Management position in a more secure organization (granted I did leave there before)

    A side note is that the new position does not really come with much of a salary increase, something which does slightly disappoint me as I would expect a position of this nature to carry a better salary package offering. The position does however grant me the opportunity to see whether I will like Devoplement Management or not and if I do can potentially provide me with a platform for other Development Manager roles at other organizations in the future having gained experience in the role

    Appreciate your thoughts and own experiences

    Thanks

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    • #2419508
      Avatar photo

      Re: career advice

      by kees_b ·

      In reply to Career Advice. Stay or Go || Engineer vs Manager

      Some people are good in development, some people are good managers, and there are few who are good in both. Your post doesn’t really help in deciding in what of these 3 categories applies your are.

      But your post gives me the impression you’re more inclined to change than to stay. Follow your heart.

      • #2419507

        Career Advice

        by $hortcircu1t ·

        In reply to Re: career advice

        When I first began my career I really enjoyed programming. 20 years on I don’t enjoy it as much anymore, whether that is because I tended to stick to one language and didn’t learn any new languages and now that language is not so much in demand and learning new languages to the level of intermediate and above seems daunting I am not sure. Or the fact that there have always been so many other aspects to handle apart from just programming that I find myself looking beyond programming. And that I have enjoyed these other aspects to more now later on in my career makes me thing that perhaps I know where my heart is leaning towards.

    • #4008672

      Reply To: Career Advice. Stay or Go || Engineer vs Manager

      by ssiss1asVLi ·

      In reply to Career Advice. Stay or Go || Engineer vs Manager

      Yes, starting a new job can be difficult. I also passed through a similar situation, and I understand your feelings.

      • #4008897

        Reply To: Career Advice. Stay or Go || Engineer vs Manager

        by ssiss1asVLi ·

        In reply to Reply To: Career Advice. Stay or Go || Engineer vs Manager

        The main thing is to believe in yourself and trust the process. Reading your post, I remembered myself in that situation when I was looking for an HVAC job. At that time, it was something new and confusing for me. I read a lot of information about this job, and I found out that you need to receive the EPA certification to get this job. So, I went to some courses and now work in this industry. Ensure that you don’t need such a certificate too. If not, find a job and start working.

        • This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by ssiss1asVLi.
        • This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by Avatar photokees_b.
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