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I'm looking at a career change (possibly to tech), and I can't help but wonder: is there a way to be one of these managers, but without being a coder first? We

by rewgs 6y ago

I'm looking at a career change (possibly to tech), and I can't help but wonder: is there a way to be one of these managers, but without being a coder first? Weird question, I know. But I'm an advanced beginner of a programmer who knows that I'd make a better manager than a SWE. Almost would prefer to just leap-frog to management since, as it is, I'm already looking at a career change and know my strengths.

biotechiscool 6y ago
Check out QA. Get promoted from QA analyst up to manager and then transfer into other management type roles outside of QA.
doktorhladnjak 6y ago
You have to have credibility with engineers to manage them or they will not respect you. At least at leading companies with a Silicon Valley type culture. It's about more than knowing how to program, but rather the ins and outs of development, architecture, technology. Plenty of more typical Fortune 500 type companies and small, non VC funded companies let managers from non engineering backgrounds manage engineers.
dagw 6y ago
is there a way to be one of these managers, but without being a coder first? There is, but probably not in a Software company, since they tend to prefer promoting experienced programmers to managers based on their tech skills (for better or worse) Companies that work in logistics, banking, engineering etc. and have in-house software teams, but don't ship software as their primary business are far more open to hiring non-programmers as software team managers (for better or worse). If you have any domain knowledge about the area they're operating in that often weighs much higher.
- renox 6y ago
  My previous manager was non technical, my current manager is an ex-developer, it makes things a bit simpler to have an ex-developer as manager but it isn't 'that' different, it just meant that before I had to simplify the description of the issues, which is a good thing anyway (most of the time). And the best thing my manager can do for our team is political: each team/site competes for the more interesting features to develop..
geophile 6y ago
Do yourself, and your potential direct reports, and don't do this. Maybe you would be a great manager, maybe you would be a bad one. But you would not be nearly as good as a person who is just like you but has also worked as a developer. You literally will not know what you are talking about, and the people you manage will see this, and that creates an unfixable problem between you and your developers. I mean, the classic "couldn't you just ..." is bad enough from a manager who at least was on the receiving end of that suggestion, at some point in his or her career. But from someone who hasn't had that experience, it is so much worse. Maybe you would never use that phrase, but the dynamic is unavoidable. Much of what you do and say will be second-guessed and devalued.

by rewgs 6y ago

biotechiscool 6y ago

Check out QA. Get promoted from QA analyst up to manager and then transfer into other management type roles outside of QA.

doktorhladnjak 6y ago

You have to have credibility with engineers to manage them or they will not respect you. At least at leading companies with a Silicon Valley type culture. It's about more than knowing how to program, but rather the ins and outs of development, architecture, technology. Plenty of more typical Fortune 500 type companies and small, non VC funded companies let managers from non engineering backgrounds manage engineers.

dagw 6y ago

is there a way to be one of these managers, but without being a coder first? There is, but probably not in a Software company, since they tend to prefer promoting experienced programmers to managers based on their tech skills (for better or worse) Companies that work in logistics, banking, engineering etc. and have in-house software teams, but don't ship software as their primary business are far more open to hiring non-programmers as software team managers (for better or worse). If you have any domain knowledge about the area they're operating in that often weighs much higher.

renox 6y ago
My previous manager was non technical, my current manager is an ex-developer, it makes things a bit simpler to have an ex-developer as manager but it isn't 'that' different, it just meant that before I had to simplify the description of the issues, which is a good thing anyway (most of the time). And the best thing my manager can do for our team is political: each team/site competes for the more interesting features to develop..

geophile 6y ago

Do yourself, and your potential direct reports, and don't do this. Maybe you would be a great manager, maybe you would be a bad one. But you would not be nearly as good as a person who is just like you but has also worked as a developer. You literally will not know what you are talking about, and the people you manage will see this, and that creates an unfixable problem between you and your developers. I mean, the classic "couldn't you just ..." is bad enough from a manager who at least was on the receiving end of that suggestion, at some point in his or her career. But from someone who hasn't had that experience, it is so much worse. Maybe you would never use that phrase, but the dynamic is unavoidable. Much of what you do and say will be second-guessed and devalued.