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Is being a manager better? Is it a raise you want? There may be other ways. I make more than my manager. I've had great managers and I've worked with great sof

Is being a manager better? Is it a raise you want? There may be other ways. I make more than my manager. I've had great managers and I've worked with great software developers and while it certainly helps to be a great developer to be a great manager, some of the worst managers I've had were also great developers. You may have a different skillset. And I don't know that avoiding humiliation is the best motivation to want to be a manager. As it stands now, I'm a self-employed contractor and that brings some of the upsides of being a manager. I am running my own small business, after all. Maybe that's worth considering? It's not without downsides, though, especially in a soft job market. I've also been a developer for 15 years (I'm 40 and graduated late at 25) and feel some of your angst, though I think the traditional approach is to take up woodworking or try to start a brewery :-)

pixelatedindex 3y ago
> Is being a manager better? If a manager is higher on the totem pole, isn’t that by definition “better”?
- saulpw 3y ago
  No, not at all? It sounds like you have an implicit bias that "broader-scope" is "better". And/or "can wield more power" is "better". But those aren't better, only a role you might want for yourself, if what you want is to operate at a more abstract level or have power over people.
  - pixelatedindex 3y ago
    Yep, it’s the “can wield more power” is better. I’m biased in that way because to me if you fail when you don’t have a lot of power, the consequences are worse than when you fail as a CEO or some high level managerial position where you’re given golden handcuffs/parachutes. In other words, to me it feels like an IC can “fail down” but managers/directors/c-suites only seem to “fail up” - hence, better. I also think managers make way more than an IC, as they are a “level above” in the org structure. I’m happy to change my bias, but I haven’t seen any evidence to the contrary.

pixelatedindex 3y ago

> Is being a manager better? If a manager is higher on the totem pole, isn’t that by definition “better”?

saulpw 3y ago
No, not at all? It sounds like you have an implicit bias that "broader-scope" is "better". And/or "can wield more power" is "better". But those aren't better, only a role you might want for yourself, if what you want is to operate at a more abstract level or have power over people.
- pixelatedindex 3y ago
  Yep, it’s the “can wield more power” is better. I’m biased in that way because to me if you fail when you don’t have a lot of power, the consequences are worse than when you fail as a CEO or some high level managerial position where you’re given golden handcuffs/parachutes. In other words, to me it feels like an IC can “fail down” but managers/directors/c-suites only seem to “fail up” - hence, better. I also think managers make way more than an IC, as they are a “level above” in the org structure. I’m happy to change my bias, but I haven’t seen any evidence to the contrary.