◉ Expert Analysis
Should I become a manager?
Analyzed by 4 domain experts
Management is a career change, not a promotion. Treat it like one.
The best individual contributors often become the worst managers because the skills that made them great are the skills they have to stop using.
◉ Expert Perspectives
“You will spend 70% of your time in meetings and 0% writing code.”
The transition from maker to manager means your output becomes invisible. You no longer ship features; you ship other people shipping features. If your identity and satisfaction come from building things with your own hands, management will feel like a demotion disguised as a promotion.
“The IC track now pays as much as director-level management.”
Staff and principal engineer roles at most major companies now match or exceed management compensation through L7-L8. If your primary motivation is money or career progression, the IC track offers both without the meetings, politics, and emotional labor of managing humans.
“Try it as a tech lead first. Management is a one-way door at most companies.”
At many organizations, going back to IC after becoming a manager is culturally difficult even when technically possible. Ask for a tech lead or team lead role first to test whether you enjoy the people side without fully leaving the technical work. This gives you data without commitment.
“Great managers are the single biggest factor in team retention.”
If you genuinely care about growing people and find energy in unblocking others, management is deeply fulfilling. The best managers I have seen are those who chose it because they wanted to multiply impact, not because it was the next rung on the ladder. Motivation matters enormously here.
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What does a engineering leadership coach think about “should i become a manager?”?+
You will spend 70% of your time in meetings and 0% writing code. The transition from maker to manager means your output becomes invisible. You no longer ship features; you ship other people shipping features. If your identity and satisfaction come from building things with your own hands, management will feel like a demotion disguised as a promotion.
What does a ic-track principal engineer think about “should i become a manager?”?+
The IC track now pays as much as director-level management. Staff and principal engineer roles at most major companies now match or exceed management compensation through L7-L8. If your primary motivation is money or career progression, the IC track offers both without the meetings, politics, and emotional labor of managing humans.
What does a first-time manager researcher think about “should i become a manager?”?+
Try it as a tech lead first. Management is a one-way door at most companies. At many organizations, going back to IC after becoming a manager is culturally difficult even when technically possible. Ask for a tech lead or team lead role first to test whether you enjoy the people side without fully leaving the technical work. This gives you data without commitment.
What does a vp of people operations think about “should i become a manager?”?+
Great managers are the single biggest factor in team retention. If you genuinely care about growing people and find energy in unblocking others, management is deeply fulfilling. The best managers I have seen are those who chose it because they wanted to multiply impact, not because it was the next rung on the ladder. Motivation matters enormously here.
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