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I'm baffled that Managerial work is lumped into High-Skill jobs... Easily 80% of managers I've met/worked for have been decidedly low skill. Especially when co

I'm baffled that Managerial work is lumped into High-Skill jobs... Easily 80% of managers I've met/worked for have been decidedly low skill. Especially when compared with engineers, research scientists, programmers, designers, etc

Loughla 13y ago
I like making up statistics, too. 50% of the engineers I've met don't really do enough to earn their salary. How's that one? Good management requires a vast amount of skill, whether that's technical or soft skills. Good managers keep you doing your work, and reduce your distractions without you even noticing. Your statement should read, "Easily 80% of the managers I've met/worked for have been BAD". See the difference?
- ItendToDisagree 13y ago
  Is it 'making up statistics' when you give an opinion based on your own personal anecdotal evidence and say as much in the sentence? I understand your attempt to be provocative with your comment, but I don't see even what you said as making up a statistic, unless of course it is untrue in your experience and you literally just made it up. Fair enough on the rewording but I'd hardly call management high-skill labor akin to the examples I mentioned.
  - bjelkeman-again 13y ago
    I don't know. Managing takes as much skill as anything I have done in my career, but there is no good way of learning it than on the job IMHO. Not saying all managers are well skilled, but saying it is a low skill job is to me grossly misleading.
    - ItendToDisagree 13y ago
      Fair enough, I could see that. I was mostly thinking of it in terms of learned skills, rather than human relations/leadership/politics skills, which I've always felt are more of a thing that people have, or do not have. I probably shouldn't say its a low-skill or brainless job (in general... though I do often get that feeling from mangers), but I just personally never put it in the class of highly-skilled jobs. Edit: I guess that I've always just placed it as more of a 'ladder climber' type of job than a highly skilled worker type of job. But to be totally fair that is likely due to my experiences. :)
      - bjelkeman-again 13y ago
        Yeah, bad managers who mainly play the politics or think that management is what it is all about where the reasons I begun with starting startups. Now I don't have to work for them. :)
  - bowlofpetunias 13y ago
    I beg to differ. Source: former software engineer turned manager. Never had to juggle so many wildly different skills in my life. I agree with 80% being shit though. That was my motivation to go there in the first place. The thing is, just like CS doesn't teach people to be good developers, no amount of management training teaches people to be good managers. Also, a good percentage of the coders are pretty shit too. The networking possibilities of the internet have allowed us to isolate ourselves from that, so good developers are usually amongst themselves, be it on places like HN, or working for companies they already know have high standards. I bet outside of out bubble, the 80% shit applies to many other professions, including our own.

Loughla 13y ago

I like making up statistics, too. 50% of the engineers I've met don't really do enough to earn their salary. How's that one? Good management requires a vast amount of skill, whether that's technical or soft skills. Good managers keep you doing your work, and reduce your distractions without you even noticing. Your statement should read, "Easily 80% of the managers I've met/worked for have been BAD". See the difference?

ItendToDisagree 13y ago
Is it 'making up statistics' when you give an opinion based on your own personal anecdotal evidence and say as much in the sentence? I understand your attempt to be provocative with your comment, but I don't see even what you said as making up a statistic, unless of course it is untrue in your experience and you literally just made it up. Fair enough on the rewording but I'd hardly call management high-skill labor akin to the examples I mentioned.
- bjelkeman-again 13y ago
  I don't know. Managing takes as much skill as anything I have done in my career, but there is no good way of learning it than on the job IMHO. Not saying all managers are well skilled, but saying it is a low skill job is to me grossly misleading.
  - ItendToDisagree 13y ago
    Fair enough, I could see that. I was mostly thinking of it in terms of learned skills, rather than human relations/leadership/politics skills, which I've always felt are more of a thing that people have, or do not have. I probably shouldn't say its a low-skill or brainless job (in general... though I do often get that feeling from mangers), but I just personally never put it in the class of highly-skilled jobs. Edit: I guess that I've always just placed it as more of a 'ladder climber' type of job than a highly skilled worker type of job. But to be totally fair that is likely due to my experiences. :)
    - bjelkeman-again 13y ago
      Yeah, bad managers who mainly play the politics or think that management is what it is all about where the reasons I begun with starting startups. Now I don't have to work for them. :)
- bowlofpetunias 13y ago
  I beg to differ. Source: former software engineer turned manager. Never had to juggle so many wildly different skills in my life. I agree with 80% being shit though. That was my motivation to go there in the first place. The thing is, just like CS doesn't teach people to be good developers, no amount of management training teaches people to be good managers. Also, a good percentage of the coders are pretty shit too. The networking possibilities of the internet have allowed us to isolate ourselves from that, so good developers are usually amongst themselves, be it on places like HN, or working for companies they already know have high standards. I bet outside of out bubble, the 80% shit applies to many other professions, including our own.