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  • #2263938

    Stay a Techie or move to Management?

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    by listen65 ·

    I am interested in hearing the views of fellow techies and managers.

    An opportunity is arising for me to move into a manager role. It would be managing the UNIX team supporting multiple clients. On the face of it, it seems to me to be a natural career progression and of course I would earn more $$. I believe I have the abilities and I would engage with the new challenges.

    What concerns me though is that this would be purely management and very little techie work. I would be loosing my UNIX techie skills over time

    My questions are:

    Is one more employable as a UNIX engineer than a UNIX manager? Can one always move back to being a techie from manager? (would they have to move a few rungs down the ladder)

    I get the impression that there are more work opportunities as an Engineer than as a manager. I wonder is this true?. Do you also think it is true that the earning ability of an engineer is just as good as the earning ability of a UNIX team manager?

    Any views are welcome.

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    • #2502674

      Compare the trade-offs

      by debuggist ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      Like everyone you’re asking yourself what do you want to be?

      If you don’t go too far up the management ladder, I think you can move back to engineering. As an manager, you’ll probably still have opportunities to keep your engineering skills from atrophying.

      Management will broaden your skills into areas that you would never encounter as an engineer. You’ll have a better idea of how the business works and understand how finance, marketing, sales, et. al. work with IT to power the business.

      If you can combine technical depth as an engineer and business breadth as a manager, then you will have no problem finding a job. Those kinds of employees are in short supply everywhere.

    • #2501435

      Stay Techie

      by qamar.rizvi ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      I suggest to stay techie. Management brings more stress and responsibility with limited potenital of further profrssional growth. As a techie you continue to learn and experiment new technologies and have little to no fear of loosing your marketability. This is also true that you have potential to make more money as a techie than a manager. I have hired many techies for more salary than mine, and if you ever decide to go for consulting jobs then there is no match in earnings potentail compare to management.

    • #2501434

      Stay Techie

      by qamar.rizvi ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      I suggest to stay techie. Management brings more stress and responsibility with limited potenital of further profrssional growth. As a techie you continue to learn and experiment new technologies and have little to no fear of loosing your marketability. This is also true that you have potential to make more money as a techie than a manager. I have hired many techies for more salary than mine, and if you ever decide to go for consulting jobs then there is no match in earnings potentail compare to management. I switched back from Database Manager to DBA and making more money and feel more power and job security…

    • #2501416

      What Motivates You?

      by kristinafh ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      Management is usually an entirely different ball of wax. So many times, technical folks make the leap into management because of the $$$.

      You talked about this being a natural career progression – but what I didn’t see is – what really motivates you?

      There are differing motivational factors when your a manager vs. a technician. For instance, as a manager, one of your factors is the development of people on your team. As a technician, it’s probably solving an issue. In both circumstances, you can make a difference but each draws upon a different area of you.

      Kristina

    • #2501415

      What Motivates You?

      by kristinafh ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      Management is usually an entirely different ball of wax. So many times, technical folks make the leap into management because of the $$$.

      You talked about this being a natural career progression – but what I didn’t see is – what really motivates you?

      There are differing motivational factors when your a manager vs. a technician. For instance, as a manager, one of your factors is the development of people on your team. As a technician, it’s probably solving an issue. In both circumstances, you can make a difference but each draws upon a different area of you.

      Kristina

    • #2501401

      Be careful of this one

      by rhomp20029 ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      Just hope that the management position is a stable one.

      Many years ago I went to work for a hospital. The man who was second in line in the department had been a techie and move to management. A couple of years later he was released when the hospital had a reorganization. Since his tech skills were no longer needed and there were no management jobs available at the time he spent 3 years doing all kinds of other things while the market changed so he could get back into the field again.

      If the management position is stable and the market for other positions like it are good, then if you like management go for it. I always wanted the combination of management and tech so that I could be covered either way myself but that was just the way I was.

    • #2501321

      Do you really want to be a manager?

      by ashby ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      Hi,
      I guess we all come to this decision point in our careers. You really need to be sure what your long term objectives are. If you choose management, how far do you want to go? It’s a long and winding road.

      One piece in your post gives me cause for concern – “On the face of it, it seems to me to be a natural career progression…” – it isn’t – they are different roles, with different goals and rewards (not money – that’s incidental, as another poster said).

      I moved to first line supervision once, on the same misguided idea – it was a miserable time.

      I’m assuming, by the way, that you mean managing people, as opposed to managing projects?

      In my experience, techies tend to be somewhat autonomous, getting their job satisfaction from their own efforts and solving challenges by their own expertise. The question you have to ask yourself is can you get the same satisfaction from the achievements of others under your guidance? If the answer is no, stay techie. If you believe the answer is yes, then go for it and try management.

      You might want to try project management first, that will give you an idea of half the job – work direction of others. But remember, they are individuals as well – they won’t necessarily do things the way you would have done. Providing the task is completed satisfactorily, that doesn’t matter but it can sometimes be frustrating.

      The other half of the management job is the administration- budgets, job appraisals, salaries, reports, etc. Be sure you can adapt to these.

      Most techies (gross overstatement based on subjective voew) don’t make good managers, in the same way salesmen don’t – it’s the autonomy thing. But that isn’t to say they can’t. One of the best managers I’ve known was a former techie who became a manager because he wanted to manage, not because “On the face of it, it seems to me to be a natural career progression…”.

      So my advice to you is to think very carefully what you want to do. Job interest is the overriding factor. If that comes from technical achievement, stay techie, if it comes from a desire to manage, go for it and good luck in your management career.

      Oh, and in case you were wondering, I resolved my supervisory problem by joining an IT company, where I reached a very senior level in technical product management!

    • #2501081

      A Lot Depends on You

      by observant ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      There will always be several opinions on this decision as is beginning to be represented here. One of the things I agree with is that it is NOT a natural career progression. From your post, you are very articulate (better than many in these discussion boards and I read quite a few). This is a good thing for a manager. Many times I read posts from individuals that may seem very knowledgeable but they get into sloppy writing and it ruins their credibility with me on so many levels. Then the discussions go off on rabbit trails which again tells me that some are not destined for management.

      So, for you Listen65, I refer back to the title of the reply. A lot depends on you. As a techy, I’m sure you are very good at what you do. Do not take offense but this usually (not always) means you are a good tech but will rarely make a good manager. Some techs can make the transition but as has been stated, management gets involved in so many things like budget (especially as how it aligns with the corporate strategy versus locally within the department).

      Can you, as a manager, delegate tasks to less qualified techs? … And step back to let them actually do the job even though you could do it quicker? Can you, as a manager, fire somebody without putting the company at risk from some silly HR related faux pax? Can you, as a manager, present fairness (as opposed to favoritizm) when relating to employees? Will you, as a manager, be willing to go to bat against upper management in defense of your team even if it means getting the left cheek bitten off?

      These questions, and others like them, are the type of things managers face on a daily basis. One must truely answer them from a deeply thought out mind set. It’s easy to say “yep” and move on but picture in your mind that you’ve delegated a task to an individual and they failed. Now your boss is on you like a diaper. Can you accept the responsibility for the actions of your workers, bit the bullet, and tactfully get the job done? You may have to go back to the worker with hat in one hand, the other on your sore rump, and coach the employee on doing the task the right way.

      A true leader will subscribe to this philosophy: “When things go right, my team made it happen, but when things go sour, it’s my fault.”

      In some industries, the manager will actually make less than their employees so it may not end up being money as the motivating factor. However, everyone is always looking for a good leader and the job opportunities are fewer within management versus the worker bees.

      Let me close for now with this: Can you deal with personality issues that clash, cultural issues that conflict, scheduling problems, family emergencies for every possible thing under the sun, bad attitudes, bad hair days, vendor screw-ups, etc. and yet still somehow motivate your workers to show up and complete the tasks correctly and on time? Trust me, your upper management will not want to hear anything but “we got it done on time and on budget” The rest, you, as a manager, have to just swallow and keep working.

    • #2501078

      Think of it this way

      by zlitocook ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      Do you mind being the person who is responsible for every thing your team dose? Even if it means you have to stay late, allot? Can you reprimand a friend or sit them down and tell them ether they start working harder or look for another job?
      Not trying to dissuade you but there are allot of hard things to look at when you want to move up.
      Yes there are great perks when you are a manager, director or what ever. But think about how you would be at that job and ask allot of questions before you take it.
      I was a manager for a year, I was over 60 people, and a lead tech. for two years. Now I am IT manager but the only person here for now! I just yell at myself. 🙂

    • #2500964

      Going back

      by apvrventer ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      I can’t comment on pay for the 2 roles. All I can say is that I have not seen any examples of people going back to technical – mostly due to the better pay. It’s a non-return, so make sure you can work with people. If you can you should be successful (obviously applying all the common-sense management principles). Over time your management skills will be more valuable to the company (& your career) than the technical skills.
      ITManager

      • #2500922

        Been there done that……….

        by kcikowski ·

        In reply to Going back

        I was a techie for over 5 years. Made the transition to manager. Only lasted for 1 yr. and 10 months. For me it was a totally different ball game. I really missed the hands on and absolutely hated sitting in countless unproductive meetings. It also really sucked to ultimately be responsible for your entire departments mistakes and shortcomings. I went back to being a techie and have never been happier. For me the pay increase wasn’t worth the hassles of being management.

        • #2500907

          Gotta decide how to balance

          by rhomp20029 ·

          In reply to Been there done that……….

          In my case I decided that I needed to balance my liking for the techie parts of the job and the managing parts. I was lucky enough to get a job that was in between and have a staff that really worked together.

          I was able to go high enough in management to make a difference in what went on and still maintain the more interesting part of the job. My staff and I worked together and I also made sure that everyone was involved in what went on. By listening to their ideas and balancing them against mine I got a happy medium that, I think, satisfied all of us and yet the business benefited from the fact that if anything happened to one of us the others could keep things moving along the same path. That was an ideal situation and it worked well, but only because I had the right staff. If I had been stuck with a prima donna, it would have been a disaster.

          As a result given the choice of staying a techie or going into pure management, I would stay a techie. Given my situation at the time with the right group, I would have considered moving up but only with that group.

      • #2500903

        I rspectfully disagree

        by rhomp20029 ·

        In reply to Going back

        So much of the problem I had with the management was that they did not grow the tech side of the job at all. They lost sight of the fact that times change, jobs change, skills required change and the management did not. I have lost count of the number of times I really really really wanted to tell off the manager who thought he knew the skills required and made decisions based on that even after all of us who did keep up with the tech part talked to him about what was wrong with his decision. I ended up being stuck a year later having to make up for his bad decision in half the time I would have had if he had listened in the first place. After spending months working 12-14 hour days making things work so the schedule could be met (and for other reasons the original schedule was required – outside orgs were changing methods and we had to meet them) and all because a manager who thought he knew the business and did not need to listen to us, I finally left the company. If you can mesh your tech skills and gain the management skills, then go ahead but if not, forget it unless you have a lot more patience that I did.

    • #2500864

      choices and eventualities

      by dryflies ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      Look at what your career path will be for both eventualities. do you think you can climb the management ladder or do you thonk you will stay on the bottom rung? Do you want to climb the management ladder? What kind of technical path forward is in place? Is there room for you on that path?
      Have you been in a management position before? Is there an opportuntiy for you to try on the “new shoes” for a bit to see if they fit you? It is all about choices and which ones will be right for you.

    • #2502865

      I’m wondering the same thing!

      by jeffboot ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      Thanks for posting that question. I’ve been on the technical side for many, many years and now that I’m getting older I am beginning to wonder if I should be taking the management path. I am also afraid of leaving the technical side simply because I feel like I have tangible skills versus management. I will surely fall behind the wave if I make such a move.

      • #2489697

        Wondering the same thing

        by tony_gitau ·

        In reply to I’m wondering the same thing!

        I have also been in the techie job for 6 years. The good thing is the challenges i used to encounter. I learnt quite alot and now have moved to management. Though I still do tech work, it is not as much and interesting as before when I worked for an IT solutions provider. I could visit different companies with varying issues and could get excited when i solved them. My previous employer liked my job and wants to hire me back. What should I do?

        • #2489221

          My 2 cents

          by master_techie ·

          In reply to Wondering the same thing

          My recommendation to tony_gitau would be to go back to your previous employer. I have been a techie for around 10 years now. I have been fortunate enough to work really close to couple managers. I have met a few worst ones too. Now I know what is going on before a project actually gets to the techie pile. And I do see a very good chance for me to become a manager. Yet, I will never leave my techie role. It is always a good to have a feeling of what is going on in project as a whole, but personally, at the end of the day, I get the most enjoyment and fulfillment from what I have done as a programmer to solve a problem than as a manager. So if you still can’t decide whether to stay as a manager or go back to techie, I would repeat the same thing. Go back to being a techie. Because it is obvious that you are not enjoying being a manager, otherwise you wouldn’t have asked this question.

    • #2489154

      Another Angle

      by vklavon ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      Many of the respondents have illustrated the problems you face as a manager. On the other side, one of the problems you face as a techie is that you don’t have a voice in the “big picture”. When a manager can successfullly implement improvements that improve the work lives of users and the profitability of the company (through your own techies), it can be very satisfying. If you can not gain satisfaction from this type of management activity, you should remain a techie and live with the decisions of others.

      If you want to pursue a management career, you should also realize that your success is also dependent on your manager and also the rest of the management team. Realize that the players will change with time and you may have to leave an employer to find a better or successful team. It is a jungle out there not matter what you do.

      P.S.
      My father only gave me one piece of advice regarding employment. “If your employer is not taking care of you, find one that will.”

      I held my first management position in 1967 (that’s 40 years ago) and am currently the manager for the IS Dept. at my current employer. I enjoy being an “agent for change”. It is frequently quite difficult, but I also enjoy the “battle”. I also try to keep current in technical matters by taking tech classes, using the TechRepublic “Fast Track” training software, attending webinars, etc. I am also a member of the Society for Information Management and attend their meetings. Am I as good as the techies? Generally no, because I don’t do the tech work on a daily basis. But, I am often able to find solutions to more difficult problems that they couldn’t (including using tech support) because of my broader knowledge and experience.

    • #2505671

      Be a Manager..

      by kiranj.email ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      It may sound that one is a good techie and may not be good at management. But management is all about practice.. If one is a good techie, you will learn management in no time.. and infact a good techie is a better manager as (s)he knows the internal details better and can appreciate a good developer’s job.

      • #2504579

        I Disagree

        by observant ·

        In reply to Be a Manager..

        Please refer to my other post “A Lot Depends on You”. Being a good tech does not translate into being a good manager. I’ve know many good techies. Their abilities can make some folks just stand with mouth agape as they watch the screen displaying what seem to be miracles. Yet, these techies also have the personality of a wood rasp. Their friends are a keyboard, mouse, and SCSI cables.

        I had a manager that had the technical skills of a rabbit. His people skills were to simply acquiesce on any confrontation. The attrition rate in his department was 43%. He knew the politics and was drinking buddies with the director so even when the attrition rate rose to 56%, he still kept his job.

        To become a manager, well, a good one anyway, people skills must be paramount. As a manager, you will have access to the payroll information of your subordinates and are entrusted with many other “sensitive” areas. You will have subordinates come to you with all kinds of things both good (I found a better job (i.e., boss)) and bad (My cat got run over), (I’m getting a divorce), etc.

        Processing binary data with it’s black and white existance is much different than the multi shades of gray that envelope people. A monitor can handle you screaming at it for being stupid and not doing what you want (even though it actually did exactly what you programmed it to do). However, some human beings cannot handle such outbursts (which ones will suck it up and go back to work, which ones will go postal and wait for you in the parking lot?) Not to mention HR visiting you over it later!

        As a manager, you will be in the position to make tough decisions. Not whether to install a 200GB or a 500GB hard drive either. You will have to fire non or poor performers. You may have to decide on who gets the one promotion in the department. Just because she’s pretty doesn’t make her smart. But when she is capable, and you promote her, there will always be some dissent among the crowd (both male and female) that will gripe that she got it because of . If you promote a male, the female members of you team will say it’s “the good ol boy network”. … My point is not to sound sexist. Just that regardless of what you do, there will always be an element of people that will find some reason to complain. … Can you deal with that?

        Can you deal with budget cuts? Can you sit across the desk from a real hard worker who deserves a great raise and tell her “sorry, upper management says I can only hand out a 2% raise this year”

        As a techie, if a server blows up, some of us would stay late and fix it. We love our CPUs. As a manager, what will you do if the tech that is not so dedicated says “Sorry, got a hot date tonight.”

        Now, it’s easy for some in this discussion to say “Sure, I can do that!” or “I’d fire his rumpus!” but in reality, such cavalier boasts are just that, boasts. … What if the lazy tech was the son of the president? What if they were a protected minority class? Do you know how fast you could end up in an EEOC lawsuit?

        Let me close with this. We would like to think our employees will like us as much as we think our servers love us. In truth, it’s just that even though they could get away with it, our servers can’t go “PPPPLLLLLTTTTTT!” of their own volition.

    • #2483053

      homework time

      by gpellett ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      In addition to the suggestions offered to look into your own career goals and honestly evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, please let me offer this.
      “Is one more employable as a UNIX engineer than a UNIX manager?” Check job advertisements for your area, or places that you’d like to work.
      “Can one always move back to being a techie from manager?” Depends upon how long you’ve been away from the technical side. It would be easier if you kept your certifications up to date or took formal courses to keep up with technology.
      “would they have to move a few rungs down the ladder” Maybe, but you might find a company that values all of your experience and rewards you for it.
      “I get the impression that there are more work opportunities as an Engineer than as a manager.” Depends upon the employers in your area, but consider this: technical people are the producers that managers rely upon. Eventually the product (service, upgrade, etc.) must be built. Managers may be drivers, but engineers are where the rubber meets the road.
      If you believe in your company (including the chain of command that you?ll deal most closely with) and feel that the management career path is right for you, go for it. Watch out for companies that have chaotic management or buddy networks that could limit your future. Some companies assume that good techs automatically make good managers, but then provide little support and training. Make sure you learn industry accepted management practices and don?t just fall into the style of your bosses or company. You?ll really need to be on your toes or you could ruin your reputation and kill your career. Meanwhile, competent techs can ignore politics and still do well. Overall, combining technical smarts and management savvy is a dynamite career builder. But there?s just as much respect for the tech who really makes things work.

    • #2507875

      Reasons to move to management

      by bmagurn ·

      In reply to Stay a Techie or move to Management?

      I moved to management and it is definitely a struggle, but it’s a challenge I think I am up to, and I will grow in my skill set.

      As everyone has said, the question is more about what you want for yourself, your personal growth, and the things you will enjoy more.

      Management is about people – supporting people, taking their issues up the change, and doing things that primarily have nothing to do with tech.

      If you are looking to just get a bigger paycheck, don’t take the job. You’re in it for the wrong reason and will quickly discover that the check doesn’t make up for the aggravation.

      A good reason to move to management is because you believe that your technical knowledge of the business will help you make good decisions that will help your team, more than if someone else was in the role.

      Your technical skills will atrophy somewhat. If you can find the time to exercize them, you may be able to almost keep up, but you won’t have the free time you had as a techie to read up and play with things.

      Another good reason to move to management is if you feel a lack of a challenge with the technical skills you have mastered, and you are looking for a new challenge, and to develop a new skill set.

      As far as employment is concerned – I think we can assume there are less management positions than actual engineer positions since the managers usually manage more than 1 engineer.

      Can you go back? Yes, but not easily.
      If I was looking to hire an engineer, I would have more reservations about hiring someone who was a manager, because
      1) I don’t know how current their skills still are
      2) They may have attitude issues adjusting back to the engineer position – which means they may not take direction well, and may boss people around, thinking they’re still in charge.

      These can be overcome by a good interview, explaining what your motivations are for changing jobs, but it’s something to think of.

      I think it’s safe to assume that in general the management position will pay more than the engineer position. Again just basic numbers. The manager’s responsible for a number of people, and that responsibility is usually compensated more than the worker bees.

      That’s not to say that companies may look at a manager as a generality that’s paid based how how easily they can get people, while the specific skillset of an engineer may require keeping up with market pay.

      In a nutshell, if you don’t feel a desire to help your fellow workers, lead them, train them, motivate them and drive them to their fullest potential – don’t take the job for any other reason. It is a huge challenge, and all of your technical skills do not prepare you for the challenge of working with people.

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