
Ask HN: Moving from Middle Management Back to Engineering - throwway_32156
I made the switch from Engineering to Engineering Management about 4 years ago.<p>Given where I was at the time I think it was a good career move and I feel like I&#x27;ve learned a lot including many things about being a good Engineer I learned from the manager perspective.<p>I&#x27;ve recently made it to the &#x27;manager of managers&#x27; position and am doing well generally.<p>The problem I&#x27;m struggling with is that I don&#x27;t love it nearly as much as I loved Engineering. I spend all of my days managing stakeholders, engaged in politics and generally not having much of an idea if my team&#x27;s are successful because of or in spite of my leadership.<p>I&#x27;m exhausted at the end of every day in a way that I never was as an Engineer and at 37 with a young family I feel like this energy sapping slog takes away from my ability to be a good dad. I also can&#x27;t see the next 25 years being that much fun from my current position.<p>So I&#x27;m considering switching back. I have 12 or so years as an engineer and have done well on that track prior to switching.<p>Anyone have any good anecdotes positive or negative on the switch back to front like engineering from the manager track after a few years? Or those that didn&#x27;t and pushed through some kind of inflection point into senior leadership that was easier than middle management?<p>Thanks!
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sidlls
I did this recently, and discovered that I’m just plain burnt out in general
with the whole industry. Between the egos, the never ending stream of self-
inflicted wounds (tech debt), and the political jockeying I’ve just had it.

That aside, it is a tougher transition back to IC than I thought it would be.
My new manager asks what I’d do, management wise, sometimes, but I don’t like
being put in that position: there’s a reason I left management. Also, even
though I wrote code frequently on my own time and contributed to designs,
that’s not the same as being in the thick of it, and my skills deteriorated
noticeably. That’s a hard thing to manage.

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throwway_32156
Thanks for this. I've talked to a few people about the 'rusting' skills, most
said that over time they come back but also expectations are higher at more
senior IC levels.

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muzani
Yup, I did the same thing. What I _hated_ as a manager was that it felt
helpless sometimes. I was running a big project with two tech giants, well
funded, and we were spending weeks negotiating extra days to the project. I
felt like I could have just gone in and fix the problem myself with that time.
But someone had to explain the issues. We've had all nighters too - management
has to be present and do nothing as moral support.

A big part of it is politics. I think we had fairly good politics - we
politely informed one another that we would throw them under the bus, and then
have drinks after work apologizing for that. But I'd rather be spending my
energy doing something positive rather than writing documentation to appease a
party.

On the bright side, it is fun being a "boss". Sort of like those video game
bosses where you send minions to do something, where an international team is
flown in and still can't fix it. I come in and spend a day or two fixing it
while on paternity leave. Of course, it was just assembling the results of the
rest of the team; not taking credit for that. But that kind of thing is not
appreciated as an engineer.

Being an engineer pays a little better - similar salary + free devices + free
repairs. Not as many expensive dinners. No fully sponsored international
flights and fancy hotels. But I get to work 8 hours and go home. I get actual
time off to work on my own fun projects.

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seige
This doesn't answer your q but can I ask you how you went from IC to a manager
assuming your focus was front-end engineering? The front-end community career
track ceils at the IC level quite often and it is rare for FE engineers to
jump to management level.

Happy to DM you if you don't feel like taking this up on the public channel.
Thank you!

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throwway_32156
Actually backend mostly - from the API layer right down to infrastructure and
some systems level stuff.

I went from an IC to a manager when the tech lead position turned into an em
position in the start up I work for.

I just went with it, without giving it much forethought.

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seige
Ahh, that makes sense and falls in line with what I suspected. Thanks for the
clarification!

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greenyoda
I also went from being a developer to being a manager-of-managers and back
(after being a manager for 9 years). I've never regretted going back to being
a developer.

As a manger, I found it stressful being responsible for the work of an entire
team, frequently working long hours to help fulfill commitments. I also found
personnel issues stressful, especially having to lay off people. Like you, I
enjoy development work much more than management work.

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zyang
Have you considered starting a side business that solves a smaller but
profitable problem. You might be underestimating your value as a manager by
throwing it away.

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throwway_32156
I had but I wouldn't even know where to start.

