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I think he means stuck financially, not career wise since they have chosen to stay as a developer. His answer to how to move ahead financially is to specialize

by matt_s 11y ago

I think he means stuck financially, not career wise since they have chosen to stay as a developer. His answer to how to move ahead financially is to specialize. So maybe that is the general advice is to find something to specialize in or you are just seen as a commodity by management. If you are a commodity (e.g. general web developer with X years) then you may not get higher rates.

philrapo 11y ago
"specialize" is good advice to get paid more. Specialization is why wall street people get paid so much. There are typically only a handful of people with relevant expertise trading [XYZ esoteric product], and when a company wants to enter that new business line, they have no choice but to settle for someone inexperienced or pay up for specialization. Choosing the proper specialization is a different story...
dudul 11y ago
I agree with the general idea. You can remain a "simple" developer and still ask for more money if you specialize and bring significant value. I disagree with the idea that moving to a management position means that you get "unstuck", especially financially. To me, becoming a manager is pivoting or branching out, not specializing. And as I stated, a manager should not necessarily make more money than the people they manage. Do all NFL coaches make more money than their players? I guess this is what bothers me the most. This idea that a manager should make more money than the developers. Salaries are in function of demand/supply and the value that you bring to the table, if it's easier to find a manager than a developer then the developer should make more money.
- ben336 11y ago
  > And as I stated, a manager should not necessarily make more money than the people they manage. "Should not" is very different than "does not". In reality, managers almost always make more
  - dudul 11y ago
    Agreed. Mostly because managers are in charge of hiring and they would not hire someone reporting to them and making more than them.
    - HeyLaughingBoy 11y ago
      I doubt that has anything to do with it. I've known at least one manager in the position of hiring developers who made far more than she did. In the end, you have to do your job. If that job requires that you hire people making more than you, tough!
      - rwallace 11y ago
        Then you've known a manager who was mature and professional enough to place the welfare of the company above her own ego. Such managers should be the norm; unfortunately the actual state of affairs is that they are rare and precious. I hope her employer realizes how lucky they were to find her, and does whatever it takes to make her happy enough to stay.
- machinshin_ 11y ago
  > Do all NFL coaches make more money than their players? on median, yah they do. you're thinking of the BIG winners who get 10/15mil or more a year (+ endorsements), but most football (and baseball) players don't make nearly that much. most NFL coaches are in the 2-3 mil range, w/ some much higher (10-15mil)
- matt_s 11y ago
  The management role is different and in most large companies is higher valued and more highly paid because they bear the brunt of whatever happens, good or bad, from their team. Depending on the level of management and the systems involved it could also become involved in audits, regulatory matters and potentially handling confidential information for the company. Think of it this way: a manager of a team of 10 developers probably has a budget of 1.5 - 2.0 million dollars in just headcount, maybe higher. If your average developer on that team makes $100k, isn't it worth it to have the manager make about 20% more because of the responsibilities?

by matt_s 11y ago

philrapo 11y ago

"specialize" is good advice to get paid more. Specialization is why wall street people get paid so much. There are typically only a handful of people with relevant expertise trading [XYZ esoteric product], and when a company wants to enter that new business line, they have no choice but to settle for someone inexperienced or pay up for specialization. Choosing the proper specialization is a different story...

dudul 11y ago

I agree with the general idea. You can remain a "simple" developer and still ask for more money if you specialize and bring significant value. I disagree with the idea that moving to a management position means that you get "unstuck", especially financially. To me, becoming a manager is pivoting or branching out, not specializing. And as I stated, a manager should not necessarily make more money than the people they manage. Do all NFL coaches make more money than their players? I guess this is what bothers me the most. This idea that a manager should make more money than the developers. Salaries are in function of demand/supply and the value that you bring to the table, if it's easier to find a manager than a developer then the developer should make more money.

ben336 11y ago
> And as I stated, a manager should not necessarily make more money than the people they manage. "Should not" is very different than "does not". In reality, managers almost always make more
- dudul 11y ago
  Agreed. Mostly because managers are in charge of hiring and they would not hire someone reporting to them and making more than them.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 11y ago
    I doubt that has anything to do with it. I've known at least one manager in the position of hiring developers who made far more than she did. In the end, you have to do your job. If that job requires that you hire people making more than you, tough!
    - rwallace 11y ago
      Then you've known a manager who was mature and professional enough to place the welfare of the company above her own ego. Such managers should be the norm; unfortunately the actual state of affairs is that they are rare and precious. I hope her employer realizes how lucky they were to find her, and does whatever it takes to make her happy enough to stay.
machinshin_ 11y ago
> Do all NFL coaches make more money than their players? on median, yah they do. you're thinking of the BIG winners who get 10/15mil or more a year (+ endorsements), but most football (and baseball) players don't make nearly that much. most NFL coaches are in the 2-3 mil range, w/ some much higher (10-15mil)
matt_s 11y ago
The management role is different and in most large companies is higher valued and more highly paid because they bear the brunt of whatever happens, good or bad, from their team. Depending on the level of management and the systems involved it could also become involved in audits, regulatory matters and potentially handling confidential information for the company. Think of it this way: a manager of a team of 10 developers probably has a budget of 1.5 - 2.0 million dollars in just headcount, maybe higher. If your average developer on that team makes $100k, isn't it worth it to have the manager make about 20% more because of the responsibilities?