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> "Several years ago my father got promoted to some leadership role. In our conversation about it, he told me he had asked to get back closer tech, but his boss
by pavlov 3y ago
> "Several years ago my father got promoted to some leadership role. In our conversation about it, he told me he had asked to get back closer tech, but his boss declined and said tech specialists are a dime a dozen. Technical leadership is very expensive to find though, and once you find one you don’t let them go back to the production line."
Ah, the foundational myth of middle management.
- shapefrog 3y agoWe are special and unique, that is why we were chosen not them.
- pavlov 3y agoI'm guessing the same story was told 600 years ago in Spain: "My father, an Inquisitor himself, told me of the time when the Grand Inquisitor promoted him. Ordinary priests are a dime a dozen, the great man said, but it takes special skill to be an Inquisitor. And that's why you never let them go back to the pulpit when you do find a good one."
- tnova 3y agoI’m not sure I follow the analogy here, are you implying technical leadership is committing heinous crimes against humanity?
- Y_Y 3y agoOr cleansing Christendom of its heresy? Or showing in the wrong sketch, quite contrary to expectations.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- asdfman123 3y agoNo one expects the Spanish Inquisition
- pavlov 3y agoIt’s a joke on the original anecdote’s timeless formula of double-filtered appeal to patriarchal authority (the father relaying the wisdom of the boss to the son).
- fennecfoxy 3y agoIsn't there a matriarchal equivalency anyway? I always see this sort of comparison made. Any sort of -archy society seems like it'll go to shit.
- psychlops 3y agoNobody expects the technical inquisition!
- 6510 3y agoI suppose that takes us back to "Beware of the Believers" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaGgpGLxLQw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaGgpGLxLQw
- biorach 3y agoMiddle managers are a dime a dozen. However a good technical lead - who can contribute to the engineering team's discussions _and_ lead the team are very very hard to find.
- urthor 3y agoReally? IMO there's an awful lot, they just ask for mid 200,000s.
- ambicapter 3y agoKey word is "good" here.
- jldugger 3y agoI've met plenty of engineering leaders being paid double that who are not "good at their job." It's a hard job to do well; it requires you care about technical details but also deal almost exclusively with people. It's a rare person who naturally fits into the "extrovert engineer" role and corporations are shitty about training those who don't fit yet to practice the right behaviors. Plus, if engineering is "design with constraints" then you are given the extra restraint of headcount and finances.
- urthor 3y agoWhere are these people located and how can I take their jobs. $400,000k for dev + fun at parties, sign me up
- jldugger 3y agoDon't even have to take their jobs. Here's one example[1] from the OP's former employer: > The base pay range for this role is between $196,000 and $299,000, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location. ... employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in the Employee Stock Purchase Plan. [1]: https://careers.apple.com/en-us/details/200442275/aiml-engineering-manager-cloud-infrastructure-ml-platform-infrastructure?team=MLAI https://careers.apple.com/en-us/details/200442275/aiml-engin...