
Ask HN: Individual Contributor or Manager? What Was Your Motivation? - yawz
I work in software development, which is still a relatively young industry. It is well-known that our industry pushes individual contributors (ICs) into managerial roles. But I also recognize that some of us make that decision more deliberately.<p>I also realize that there are &quot;technical leadership&quot; roles that may not align perfectly with &quot;line management&quot;. And these roles may allow us to keep a hand in technology as a maker, but also give us a taste of what management could be like.<p>I&#x27;d like to ask the HN community about what made them chose one track over the other? What was your motivation? What is it that still keeps you on the same path? Or are you even on the same path (maybe you went back and forth, tried different things)?
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streetcat1
So are you better talking to computers or to humans? If you like talking to
humans than in the long run (over 20 years) you will probably end up a
mediocre programmer who will lost interest in the tech. So I suggest that you
become a manager as early as possible.

I am yet to find a good programmer that like talking to humans.

I do not believe in line managers. You might have the authority over the
technical decisions, but you would lack the deep knowledge that is a function
of engaging with the technology, I.e. time.

