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> this is the usual name I dunno if it's just me, but it seems like the term came out of nowhere just a couple years ago.
by Izkata 4y ago
> this is the usual name
I dunno if it's just me, but it seems like the term came out of nowhere just a couple years ago.
- the_af 4y agoTrue! I meant the usual name now. For me it's the same as Engineer Manager: it seems to have come out of nowhere but it's the standard now. Before we called them simply "managers" (or sometimes "team leaders" of the non-technical variety). PS: are you by any chance the same Izkata as the one in scifi.se?
- Izkata 4y agoYep I am. Haven't been very active there for a while though, usually just end up there from Hot Questions when procrastinating.
- georgemcbay 4y agoI also never saw this until pretty recently. At first I assumed people were talking about independent contractors because it was the first thing that came to mind, it possibly fit the context I saw the term used in and nobody explained the acronym they just dropped it there like I was supposed to know what it meant. Took a bit longer to realize they meant individual contributor.
- superfrank 4y agoI've been hearing it for about 5-7 years now, usually in the context of career paths. I think it became popular when companies realized that non all developers are made for management and you need a separate career track for people who want to advance, but don't want to be a manager. Principal engineer, architect, etc all fall into the IC career path, while, manager, director, VP of eng, etc all fall into the management track.
- zabzonk 4y agoprincipal eng, architect et al must rely on managing devs for any meaningful project.
- superfrank 4y agoIt's more project management than people management. You likely have to lead projects and maybe a team, but you're usually not responsible for anyone's career growth (other than your own).
- tfigueroa 4y agoSame; I saw an interview with Steve Jobs in the 80s or 90s where he used it. I was surprised.