Should I transition to management - MAC009

So, the answer on how to choose a future career path is…..it depends.  It depends on you and your desires and it depends on the company you work for.

So, obviously, "it depends" isn't a very useful answer.  So let's dive in to some of the factors that I would use in making that decisions.

First, keep in mind that depending on the size of the company you work for, a position may wear many hats.  Someone at a smaller company with a title of Manager may actually be a people manager as well as a project manager and may even take on some of the same tasks as any other member of the team.  In a larger company, you usually are able to specialize and be responsible for only one of those roles.  Making the transition from an individual role to a management role may be influenced by how many hats you would be asked to wear and how prepared you are for each one.  For the remainder of the discussion, I'm going to assume management career path refers to the people management role.

Following the technical path is the easy choice.  Most likely you entered your field because of a love or passion for the work.  As long as you can keep up with the changing technology and remain relevant, that passion will probably continue as long as you want it to.  There is often a cap to how far you can advance in any technical career, but the intangibles of loving what you do can be a very compelling reward by itself.

If you enjoy career development -- coaching, mentoring, skill building, team building, hiring, etc. -- then you may enjoy being a manager.  Just keep in mind that sometimes being a manager also requires you to deal with things like conflicts among the team, firing people, and taking blame for any failings of the team.  People management is often the beginnings of the management track that can lead all the way to CEO.  So, where a technical track has a ceiling, a management track is just the floor.

The third option, engineering management, isn't an option at every company -- and sometimes not in every area of a company that has the option, but where it is offered, is a blend between the two.  It's a way to keep one foot in each camp.  However, where technical has a ceiling and management is the floor, engineering management often suffers from being an option for only a narrow band of career progress.

So, how to choose.  I'll refer back to Episode 002 - the Individual Development Plan and take a look at your career vision and roadmap.  Which track leads you to fulfilling your career vision?

And the unasked question is WHEN to change.  There is no right answer, but as mentioned in Episode 003 - Mentoring, that's a good way to show leadership and can be a preview of some of the aspects of management.  If you've taken those steps and feel comfortable in the mentor role, you may be ready to jump into people management.  But if "manager" is a role with many hats, you'll need to evaluate whether you are ready to wear ALL of the hats.

If a management track is something that you're considering but are unsure about, go to ManagingACareer.com and request the free IDP template via the feedback form.  You can use that same form to submit questions and show topics that I may address on a future episode.

Are you looking for a career coach? If you reach out to me via the contact form, I will arrange an introductory session where we can talk about your career goals and how I can help. If we're a good fit, we can schedule regular coaching sessions.