Becoming a manager for a few extra quid a day

[AtW]

...a very good way of moving bad techies to a place where they can do less damage.

It is the managers who do most damage - especially bad are failed techies who think they actually know what they are doing.

[TheMonkey]

Warning: Once you hit management, you lose all credibility and technical skills immediately. If you're no longer hands on, you've sidelined yourself into a lifetime of never writing a line of code again.

[AtW]

This is not true.

threaded.

[kramer]

the considerations of becoming manager are below me... i am a director...

[kramer]

busy on here today isn't it.... just a thought.

[Mordac]

Warning: Once you hit management, you lose all credibility and technical skills immediately. If you're no longer hands on, you've sidelined yourself into a lifetime of never writing a line of code again.

We're not all code monkeys y'know.

[rootsnall]

Trouble with technical skills is that most of them have a sell-by date, you can build up 10 years of knowledge that is suddenly worth 50% of what it was. This is obviously a curse for contractors. I was in this position and jumped into permie management roles. I had extra responsibility to deliver certain things but by delegating everything I could, it meant I didn't have to do the boring stuff, which was nice.
Also, although the junior/pretend manager roles are crap, couple of rungs up and you are looking at decent cash/conditions/work (note - this is if you are lucky/in the right place etc)
I have mates who were earning half my contract rate 10 years ago but they have caught up and until recently I was earning 50% of their packages ! By some luck and some design I am back contracting and earning decent coin but I wouldn't rule out the right permie job at the right company. Ok, maybe I am getting old !
25-late 30's - contract your ass off, don't think it will last forever, get a plan B sorted if you can.
40+ - hope plan B comes through or consider permie role at right level/conditions.
If you are a high powered SAP consultant, looks like you can ride that wave into the shore. If you are any sort of middle ranking jobbing code monkey/support gimp - trust me it's a short term gig and you will hit the skids eventually.
Good luck all !

Good summary. The trouble with all the Plan B's is that compared to the glory days of late 90s contracting they usually involve more than twice as much work and less than half the pay.

The big Co I'm at now has lots of ex techie 'managers' hiding in corners who have just been woken up by an outsourcing deal that has knackered up their Plan B.

[DaveB]

Warning: Once you hit management, you lose all credibility and technical skills immediately. If you're no longer hands on, you've sidelined yourself into a lifetime of never writing a line of code again.

I wrote my last line of serious code 18 years ago. Never looked back since.

[Francko]

Also, although the junior/pretend manager roles are crap, couple of rungs up and you are looking at decent cash/conditions/work (note - this is if you are lucky/in the right place etc)

Luke,

I agree with the above sentence. However, stepping up from junior to senior manager roles is not an easy transition and you need to have the right attitude and political mentality (i.e. you need to become a total corporate zombie in most cases).

[sasguru]

Just been offered a manager position. The weird thing is that the only financial improvement is a mere few grand extra at the end of the year. The equivalent of a few quid a day. Do people really accept a manager position just for the power and to exhibit their anti-social and destructive skills? I mean, extra responsibility, extra work, extra nuisances, extra everything for a few extra quid a day? I have obviously declined the offer. What is your experience? Did it change your financial position, either contracting or permanent, to go for a managerial role? I can understand that for many (but without speaking names: only nicknames, SasGuru) is a way to cover their inadequacies and pretend they are useful for the company, but if you are technically excellent and have a portfolio of business and other skills, you are a precious resource, even without having to deal with the dirty office politics. Do you reckon is worth to jump on the other side? Did it add any value to you?

Usually when you are offered a so-called "Manager" role without any extra cash, it's because they've decided to put you where you can't cause any more damage.
If on the other hand they double your salary, then you know you're doing something right.

HTH. Next loser .....