Should I Transition from Engineer to Manager?

Recently, Justworks rolled out a Career Journey Framework which establishes a few unique tracks along which someone could progress.

One thing I love about these tracks is that they make it very explicit that the individual contributor track does not automatically progress into management. This was a flawed idea which seems to have been more prevalent in the past.

Rather, management is properly listed as an entirely different job track. You can move laterally over from a Staff Engineering position or diagonally up if a Senior Engineer didn’t want to proceed on to a Staff role but rather up and over to Manager.

While it is very helpful (arguably mandatory) to have experience as an engineer to be a good engineering manager, it is by no means a given that an excellent engineer will be good at or enjoy being a manager because it is an entirely different job.

Here are a few differences I’ve observed after making the transition a few years ago.

(Note: while many of these things are part of the engineering experience as well, they become critical as a manager)

1. Hard core multitasking is a must. You’re pulled in 10+ different directions each day and rarely can finish one thing without being interrupted by something new. Serving as a central point of contact so the rest of your team can stay heads down is one of the best ways to accelerate their productivity.

2. Interpersonal skills become critical to success. Between building trust with your reports, friendly working relationships with other teams, and confidence from leadership, every little conversation and interaction matters.

3. Ruthless prioritization is essential. You cannot do everything that would be good to do. You have to constantly figure out which things to ignore, postpone, or start right away.

4. You rely on “serendipity”. There have been many times I learned critical information from a random conversation. Taking advantage of quick hallway talks or casual conversation at the start of a Zoom meeting is crucial to understanding what is going on and getting things done.

5. You cannot trust your memory. If you don't do something immediately, you absolutely must create a task/reminder or it will slip through the cracks.

6. Your relationship with your manager is very different. As an engineer, you’re part of the crew on your managers’ ship — tightly aligned and protected. As a manager, you’re navigating the open seas with radio communication to your manager back at base for general guidance and direction.

When considering whether to make the move, I would look at these and any other differences that come from the totally different job of Engineering Manager and consider whether they match your interests and unique skills.

• Do you crave extended periods of deep focus time or do you enjoy hopping from one thing to another?

• Does it bother you if you can’t do things you know would be good to do or do you enjoy prioritizing only the things that matter most?

• Does moving away from building products to guiding, shielding, and preparing the work for your team so they can build sound appealing?

If the latter half of these questions are true for you (as they are for me), it could be the most fulfilling and effective phase of your career!

On the other hand, if they don’t sound like a match, a transition into management should not be viewed as the only way up — keep progressing forward in what you enjoy and are good at as a Staff and eventually Principal Engineer.

Do you want to build code that helps entrepreneurs and small businesses grow with confidence? We’re hiring across our Technology teams, come build with us! Check out our Careers page.