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> I wonder if there's any managers around who also code? Maybe 50% of their time could be management, 50% coding. Nothing like getting hands dirty with the comp

by weland 13y ago

> I wonder if there's any managers around who also code? Maybe 50% of their time could be management, 50% coding. Nothing like getting hands dirty with the company code to see where things are at. An important part of the reason why so many technical people have an "overblown" idea about the inefficiency added by management is negative experience. I have met maybe a dozen people who were in management position and were not completely and utterly incompetent at what they were managing. More often than not, the managers I meet were people who started out as programmers, but quickly realized they don't stand a chance building a career out of it. This is an incredibly common career path.

MrBuddyCasino 13y ago
This. I'm working as a consultant, and I see the same thing over and over again. There aren't many "IT Managers" that are competent at what they're doing. If you are good at what you are doing (which might be programming), go and look for an environment with like-minded individuals with a sense of craftsmanship and pride in their work. Everything else will suck the life out of you.
_puk 13y ago
> Most managers will instinctively delegate dreadful tasks. That's part of the fun of management. I think this becomes one of the reasons that so many managers end up being viewed in a negative light. Surely part of a manager's job is to protect the team from external pressures. The decision to delegate should be made on the basis of the impact of delegating / not delegating, not on how dreadful the task is.
mtrimpe 13y ago
As one of my old (properly self-deprecating) managers used to say "If you're a lightweight you'll float to the top eventually."
kabdib 13y ago
The best managers I've had are ex-coders who have fully realized they cannot both code and do a good job as a manager. I had one really good coder cow-orker who became my manager. He tried, and it was pretty poignant at times, but eventually realized the truth. Until he did, he mostly sucked at both jobs.
- weland 13y ago
  Yeah, this pretty much sums up what I've seen as well. I know good ex-coders who became good managers, but the stepping stone to doing it was having to stop writing code.

by weland 13y ago

MrBuddyCasino 13y ago

This. I'm working as a consultant, and I see the same thing over and over again. There aren't many "IT Managers" that are competent at what they're doing. If you are good at what you are doing (which might be programming), go and look for an environment with like-minded individuals with a sense of craftsmanship and pride in their work. Everything else will suck the life out of you.

_puk 13y ago

> Most managers will instinctively delegate dreadful tasks. That's part of the fun of management. I think this becomes one of the reasons that so many managers end up being viewed in a negative light. Surely part of a manager's job is to protect the team from external pressures. The decision to delegate should be made on the basis of the impact of delegating / not delegating, not on how dreadful the task is.

mtrimpe 13y ago

As one of my old (properly self-deprecating) managers used to say "If you're a lightweight you'll float to the top eventually."

kabdib 13y ago

The best managers I've had are ex-coders who have fully realized they cannot both code and do a good job as a manager. I had one really good coder cow-orker who became my manager. He tried, and it was pretty poignant at times, but eventually realized the truth. Until he did, he mostly sucked at both jobs.

weland 13y ago
Yeah, this pretty much sums up what I've seen as well. I know good ex-coders who became good managers, but the stepping stone to doing it was having to stop writing code.