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Two things stand out to me: 1. I have had a string of bad managers at both good and bad companies. 2. I want to set direction and work with people but I do no

Two things stand out to me: 1. I have had a string of bad managers at both good and bad companies. 2. I want to set direction and work with people but I do not want to be a line manager. Now I need to figure out how to find somewhere with good leadership that will invest in me growing the way I am interested in growing building teams instead of tech or I need to build my own company the way I want it to be where people are first and the tech is second. No smart jerks, etc etc.

dubcee349 4y ago
Become a SR IC at FAANG. You get to set direction and work with people but don't have to manage them.
- hn_go_brrrrr 4y ago
  Exactly this. I'm TL for a large team. I get to set strategic and technical direction for our entire org and manage no one. It's fantastic. If I had more time to write code, it would be my dream job.
  - higeorge13 4y ago
    tl==tech lead, not team lead right? Yeah tech lead is a great role, assuming you have the space and freedom to actually execute a tech roadmap.
    - hn_go_brrrrr 4y ago
      Yeah, tech lead.
- 0xcoffee 4y ago
  What is SR IC
  - jamesmunns 4y ago
    I'm guessing: "Senior Individual Contributor". It would be someone experienced, who is still responsible for technical contribution (writing code, planing architecture, etc.)
naqeeb 4y ago
When you interview for your next role, you should request an additional conversation with your new manager and get their thoughts on: 1. What is their philosophy on team development? (Ask for examples) 2. What is the career ladder look like? When was the last person promoted to a Sr role? In addition, you should lay out growth areas you'd like to focus on. A good manager should be able to work with you and chart a path forward. On a side note: There are other online communities to help you level up while you are in your current role. DM me for recs.
- Firmwarrior 4y ago
  What kind of growth areas do people look for anyway? I'm like 15 years into my career, and I've grown, but none of it was necessarily intentional on my part. I've mostly grown when I was faced with an insurmountable challenge and my team/org/company would be screwed if I didn't surmount it, so I figured it out. I think it's safe to say that it was "the hard way" though
groby_b 4y ago
If you are interested in building teams, line manager is the way to get there. And if you think building your own company somehow lets you get around being a line manager... Unless you have a trust fund, I don't think that'll work. Pretty much no startup can afford to outsource people leadership until you've grown a good bit. If you go the "tech lead" route in FAANG, you have some input into the building of the team, but you should be aware that's limited. Ultimately, the person doing the day-to-day leadership (the line manager) is the person who has the strongest voice in how the team is shaped.
bergenty 4y ago
I’m going the opposite. I’m only good at managing people and don’t like to deal with the technical details anymore.

dubcee349 4y ago

Become a SR IC at FAANG. You get to set direction and work with people but don't have to manage them.

hn_go_brrrrr 4y ago
Exactly this. I'm TL for a large team. I get to set strategic and technical direction for our entire org and manage no one. It's fantastic. If I had more time to write code, it would be my dream job.
- higeorge13 4y ago
  tl==tech lead, not team lead right? Yeah tech lead is a great role, assuming you have the space and freedom to actually execute a tech roadmap.
  - hn_go_brrrrr 4y ago
    Yeah, tech lead.
0xcoffee 4y ago
What is SR IC
- jamesmunns 4y ago
  I'm guessing: "Senior Individual Contributor". It would be someone experienced, who is still responsible for technical contribution (writing code, planing architecture, etc.)

naqeeb 4y ago

When you interview for your next role, you should request an additional conversation with your new manager and get their thoughts on: 1. What is their philosophy on team development? (Ask for examples) 2. What is the career ladder look like? When was the last person promoted to a Sr role? In addition, you should lay out growth areas you'd like to focus on. A good manager should be able to work with you and chart a path forward. On a side note: There are other online communities to help you level up while you are in your current role. DM me for recs.

Firmwarrior 4y ago
What kind of growth areas do people look for anyway? I'm like 15 years into my career, and I've grown, but none of it was necessarily intentional on my part. I've mostly grown when I was faced with an insurmountable challenge and my team/org/company would be screwed if I didn't surmount it, so I figured it out. I think it's safe to say that it was "the hard way" though

groby_b 4y ago

If you are interested in building teams, line manager is the way to get there. And if you think building your own company somehow lets you get around being a line manager... Unless you have a trust fund, I don't think that'll work. Pretty much no startup can afford to outsource people leadership until you've grown a good bit. If you go the "tech lead" route in FAANG, you have some input into the building of the team, but you should be aware that's limited. Ultimately, the person doing the day-to-day leadership (the line manager) is the person who has the strongest voice in how the team is shaped.

bergenty 4y ago

I’m going the opposite. I’m only good at managing people and don’t like to deal with the technical details anymore.