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No. I wouldn't do it. You can be a project manager right out of school. I was. I'd recommend pushing for product manager/ product owner position. It's a pretty

No. I wouldn't do it. You can be a project manager right out of school. I was. I'd recommend pushing for product manager/ product owner position. It's a pretty fluid role and many job reqs want computer science education. https://www.linkedin.com/in/laynesadler/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/laynesadler/

GFischer 7y ago
Thank you for your answer. It's hard to get one here in Uruguay, but I'll definitely look for those.
_ah 7y ago
I agree with this assessment. Project Manager, Product Manger / Product Owner, and Program Manager are all different roles. They are related and often confused. I would definitely not trade Sr Dev for PjM. A more interesting question is why you're considering this change. Do you want to work more with technical leadership? Tech Lead / Architect is the correct role. Do you want more exposure to the business side (sales, costs, profits, etc)? Then you want a Product role. Do you love people and enjoy helping them grow? Engineering Manager is a good spot. Scared of age discrimination? Become an expert on some really difficult technology that's key to your company's business. I'm not sure how things work in your particular country / company, but here in the US I've never seen a Project Manager --> Engineering Manager transition, since EngMgr is typically expected to be highly technical and still occasionally checking in code. Additional: The statement that you're "too technical" to be a manager communicates two things to me: (1) They don't believe you have the appropriate interpersonal and leadership skills to execute well in this role. (2) You are valuable in your current chair and they don't want to be bothered with replacing you. Regardless of where you work, I'd recommend working on both of these problems. A great way to do this is to start training other more junior people to take over your job and responsibilities. This demonstrates that you can mentor others, invest in people, and also provides a back-fill when you vacate your position.
- GFischer 7y ago
  Thank you. I agree with your assesment on the "too technical" message. I'll think about your post.

GFischer 7y ago

Thank you for your answer. It's hard to get one here in Uruguay, but I'll definitely look for those.

_ah 7y ago

I agree with this assessment. Project Manager, Product Manger / Product Owner, and Program Manager are all different roles. They are related and often confused. I would definitely not trade Sr Dev for PjM. A more interesting question is why you're considering this change. Do you want to work more with technical leadership? Tech Lead / Architect is the correct role. Do you want more exposure to the business side (sales, costs, profits, etc)? Then you want a Product role. Do you love people and enjoy helping them grow? Engineering Manager is a good spot. Scared of age discrimination? Become an expert on some really difficult technology that's key to your company's business. I'm not sure how things work in your particular country / company, but here in the US I've never seen a Project Manager --> Engineering Manager transition, since EngMgr is typically expected to be highly technical and still occasionally checking in code. Additional: The statement that you're "too technical" to be a manager communicates two things to me: (1) They don't believe you have the appropriate interpersonal and leadership skills to execute well in this role. (2) You are valuable in your current chair and they don't want to be bothered with replacing you. Regardless of where you work, I'd recommend working on both of these problems. A great way to do this is to start training other more junior people to take over your job and responsibilities. This demonstrates that you can mentor others, invest in people, and also provides a back-fill when you vacate your position.

GFischer 7y ago
Thank you. I agree with your assesment on the "too technical" message. I'll think about your post.