Hi Abhi, I'm not the oriainal poster. but I'II chime in here. My suggestion would be to carve out extra time to do some engineering work, even if this means doing some overtime. It'Il allow you to clearly determine if you actually like doing the hands on work more. If it's a yes, have a conversation with your manager about wanting to make the switch back. They'll want to make sure you are sure with your decision, that's why you should try do some engineering work first to confirm that. It's a lot of work for your manager to restructure the leadership below them, so they'll want a degree of certainty beforehand that you won't regret the switch back to engineering, before they commit to the change. They'll also want to see that you still got what it takes, so demonstrate that through your engineering work trial.
I was a db developer and some one who moved to management at the time database developers were transitioning to learn more of programming in addition to sql. I chose management over this transition as I thought this will help me climb the ladder easily and also is financially wise decision on top of that I loved to mentor and coach people.
I have been managing data engineering teams since then , and for a long time and do understand the basics of programming pretty well but I have never created a class for example and always been asked to manage multiple teams due to the demand in the role. But now I am in 40s , have kids and somehow feel zi dont have energy to do so much of context switching . I want to just learn something which I can build some useful stuff on and have a sense of learning . EM role is critical but such a thankless , invisible job sometimes
Honestly from what you say it seems the management path is a good fit for you, you have a lot of advantage imo in that path after decades of experience.
As for switching back, my suggestions is to start with a very small side project. It's so fun and easy to build now with Claude Code/Cursor, you don't really need ANY knowledge.
I feel that the 'future-IC' will mainly need some technical sense and A LOT of product sense. Understanding customers, their pains, etc. I feel that EMs are perfectly suited for such a transition.
100% relate to your situation. The context switching often leaves us exhausted at the end of the day, just as we're heading home and trying to be good family members (the thankless-ness doesn't help). Engineers often love to deep dive and learn, which the EM role does strip away. I think it's just about weighing up priorities and pros/cons. You've seen the EM role now, you can make an informed decision whether leaving it behind is right. If engineering still allows you to provide for your family and increase work satisfaction, that's a discussion worth having. Ultimately, a fulfilled engineer is better than a dissatisfied EM.
Interesting perspectives and even though I'm an EM myself, I do agree with the points of staying an IC. It seems like your friend is keen to keep his/her hands in the work, and indeed as an EM in today's fast pace world, they will lose that ability. Though if they get fulfillment out of growing others to do it, that comes with the potential for outsized returns from leveraging their team, but it also requires lots of patience and emotional intelligence.
One bit of advice that was as true 20 years ago as it is now (and, I believe, will remain so as we figure out the new engineering landscape): The skills that made you great as an engineer are very different from those that will make you great as a manager.
That's why a fairly common strategy to promote the best engineers to management is dumb.
That's why companies eventually figure out it's better to have a more lucrative "stay in a hands-on role" path available.
Otherwise, and I experienced that first-hand, developers would be jumping for the management role only for the compensation, whether they feel like it's for them or not.
Great read! I’ve been stuck in between IC and management for a few years now and I don’t like it. The problem is I want to manage but I don’t have much experience on paper. I like to code, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found coaching, mentoring, and solving people problems more fulfilling. It’s a tough spot to be in, but I hope some clarity is ahead.
I appreciate your insights here. I am curious if you have any guidance for those of us who are unsure about the transition to EM? As you said, trust your gut if it is really something you want to do. I am struggling with that decision. I enjoy the IC role and feel I would miss that part of the job if I move to management. I also don't want to stifle my career by avoiding a potential next step just because I am unsure if I will like it.
I would say if possible to start with a Tech lead or similar role, where you are only responsible for 2-4 people. A thumb role I heard about early in my career is that every engineer you manage takes approx 1 day of the week. So if you manage 3, you have 2 days free. IF you manage 5 or more, you'll barely have time to do some IC work.
It's of course not really accurate, depends a lot on the engineers, company, etc, but managing a small team anyway seems like the future, and might be a good start for you to figure out what you want.
Great article! I think this is solid advice if someone is not sure what they want. Personally, I find the job of an EM much more fulfilling and fun than I ever felt as an IC, so I know there's no going back for me. But you're right it's less of an obvious choice than it was a few years ago
Thanks for this insight. I recently transitioned to a Team Lead role but I’ve stayed really up to date with using Claude Code, Cursor and recently even Notion AI to automate a ton of things I would’ve traditionally put off.
I also get to work on improving our processes and spreading knowledge in the team about better AI-powered workflows overall.
I do 100% agree with you that it’s a great time to be an IC. All this recent change has me wondering if I’ll continue to EM or stay more on the IC track.
I would argue that there are fewer staff engineers than managers at most companies. I would also say that they are different technical competencies. It is easy to be a staff engineer if if you are a 1/20 engineer (meaning i'd have to hire 20 good engineers to find a diamond). An engineering manger is like being a teacher. You help grow people and give advice, have success but also failure. I would argue that they are different roles meant for different people. It's like saying you could be a lawyer or a plumber.
I think the jackpot is a hands-on EM. As a hands-on EM I do the human work that AI can't touch, leading teams, managing projects and scopes, and relationship building. With AI I am able to output just as much code as I did as an IC.
Great article ! Any advice for those EMs who want to move back to IC now but have been hands off due to the demand of the role in the companies ?
Hi Abhi, I'm not the oriainal poster. but I'II chime in here. My suggestion would be to carve out extra time to do some engineering work, even if this means doing some overtime. It'Il allow you to clearly determine if you actually like doing the hands on work more. If it's a yes, have a conversation with your manager about wanting to make the switch back. They'll want to make sure you are sure with your decision, that's why you should try do some engineering work first to confirm that. It's a lot of work for your manager to restructure the leadership below them, so they'll want a degree of certainty beforehand that you won't regret the switch back to engineering, before they commit to the change. They'll also want to see that you still got what it takes, so demonstrate that through your engineering work trial.
Thanks Rob .
I was a db developer and some one who moved to management at the time database developers were transitioning to learn more of programming in addition to sql. I chose management over this transition as I thought this will help me climb the ladder easily and also is financially wise decision on top of that I loved to mentor and coach people.
I have been managing data engineering teams since then , and for a long time and do understand the basics of programming pretty well but I have never created a class for example and always been asked to manage multiple teams due to the demand in the role. But now I am in 40s , have kids and somehow feel zi dont have energy to do so much of context switching . I want to just learn something which I can build some useful stuff on and have a sense of learning . EM role is critical but such a thankless , invisible job sometimes
Hey Abhi!
Honestly from what you say it seems the management path is a good fit for you, you have a lot of advantage imo in that path after decades of experience.
As for switching back, my suggestions is to start with a very small side project. It's so fun and easy to build now with Claude Code/Cursor, you don't really need ANY knowledge.
I feel that the 'future-IC' will mainly need some technical sense and A LOT of product sense. Understanding customers, their pains, etc. I feel that EMs are perfectly suited for such a transition.
We shared some tips here (with Piotr) on how do we suggest to start: https://newsletter.manager.dev/p/how-an-ems-side-project-reached-1800
100% relate to your situation. The context switching often leaves us exhausted at the end of the day, just as we're heading home and trying to be good family members (the thankless-ness doesn't help). Engineers often love to deep dive and learn, which the EM role does strip away. I think it's just about weighing up priorities and pros/cons. You've seen the EM role now, you can make an informed decision whether leaving it behind is right. If engineering still allows you to provide for your family and increase work satisfaction, that's a discussion worth having. Ultimately, a fulfilled engineer is better than a dissatisfied EM.
Interesting perspectives and even though I'm an EM myself, I do agree with the points of staying an IC. It seems like your friend is keen to keep his/her hands in the work, and indeed as an EM in today's fast pace world, they will lose that ability. Though if they get fulfillment out of growing others to do it, that comes with the potential for outsized returns from leveraging their team, but it also requires lots of patience and emotional intelligence.
One bit of advice that was as true 20 years ago as it is now (and, I believe, will remain so as we figure out the new engineering landscape): The skills that made you great as an engineer are very different from those that will make you great as a manager.
That's why a fairly common strategy to promote the best engineers to management is dumb.
That's why companies eventually figure out it's better to have a more lucrative "stay in a hands-on role" path available.
Otherwise, and I experienced that first-hand, developers would be jumping for the management role only for the compensation, whether they feel like it's for them or not.
wording at `1. It’s a bad time to move away from tech` is wrong
> the creator of Claude Code asking why Anthropic still needs software engineers:
Duca @big_duca (who is asking) is -not- the creator of Claude Code, Boris Cherny @bcherny is (who answers the question)
You are right, thanks, fixing!
Great read! I’ve been stuck in between IC and management for a few years now and I don’t like it. The problem is I want to manage but I don’t have much experience on paper. I like to code, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found coaching, mentoring, and solving people problems more fulfilling. It’s a tough spot to be in, but I hope some clarity is ahead.
I think actually your case has a big advantage in the longer term, as you are still close to the work.
Hard to be though where the EM profession will be at in a couple of years
Consider salesmanship David. For he who brings money into the organization can do whatever the f he wants.
I appreciate your insights here. I am curious if you have any guidance for those of us who are unsure about the transition to EM? As you said, trust your gut if it is really something you want to do. I am struggling with that decision. I enjoy the IC role and feel I would miss that part of the job if I move to management. I also don't want to stifle my career by avoiding a potential next step just because I am unsure if I will like it.
I would say if possible to start with a Tech lead or similar role, where you are only responsible for 2-4 people. A thumb role I heard about early in my career is that every engineer you manage takes approx 1 day of the week. So if you manage 3, you have 2 days free. IF you manage 5 or more, you'll barely have time to do some IC work.
It's of course not really accurate, depends a lot on the engineers, company, etc, but managing a small team anyway seems like the future, and might be a good start for you to figure out what you want.
Great article! I think this is solid advice if someone is not sure what they want. Personally, I find the job of an EM much more fulfilling and fun than I ever felt as an IC, so I know there's no going back for me. But you're right it's less of an obvious choice than it was a few years ago
Yeah, I'm in the exact same boat :)
But I think for many EMs it's a different situation
Thanks for this insight. I recently transitioned to a Team Lead role but I’ve stayed really up to date with using Claude Code, Cursor and recently even Notion AI to automate a ton of things I would’ve traditionally put off.
I also get to work on improving our processes and spreading knowledge in the team about better AI-powered workflows overall.
I do 100% agree with you that it’s a great time to be an IC. All this recent change has me wondering if I’ll continue to EM or stay more on the IC track.
I would argue that there are fewer staff engineers than managers at most companies. I would also say that they are different technical competencies. It is easy to be a staff engineer if if you are a 1/20 engineer (meaning i'd have to hire 20 good engineers to find a diamond). An engineering manger is like being a teacher. You help grow people and give advice, have success but also failure. I would argue that they are different roles meant for different people. It's like saying you could be a lawyer or a plumber.
I think the jackpot is a hands-on EM. As a hands-on EM I do the human work that AI can't touch, leading teams, managing projects and scopes, and relationship building. With AI I am able to output just as much code as I did as an IC.