Is this an era to be an IC and not get into Management
Looks like there are very few manager roles in the market compared to IC roles at the moment and even in absolute numbers A lot of companies like LinkedIn Facebook and Twitter (to name a few) are doing org flattening to cut middle management and are not promoting managers plus giving more responsibility to existing managers Some companies are even restricting management promotions as there is very less headcount or org growth. However IC promotions are still there At Apple it’s super hard to transition to a management role currently as not many teams are growing A lot of people say that this is there to stay and the tech industry is going in a direction where executives want to do more with less people and the golden era of growth phase is done. This means very less management opportunities and also harder to get promoted in the manager track. I am an IC for 15+ years, have worked in 3 FAANG companies, have a PhD in CS from a top 10 school. I missed out on management opportunities which I got earlier in my career as I wanted to be an engineer for my entire career Now I am very interested in management but looks like it’s super hard to get it. Any ideas ? Is IC a much better career path for the future ? TC 640k #airbnb #uber #amazon #netflix #linkedin #twitter #snowflake #databricks #nvidia #pinterest #snap #microsoft #doordash #square #roblox #coinbase #robinhood #instacart #salesforce #apple #google #meta
If you want to avoid IC work then management is the only best option. Some transition to PM but that role is even more at risk during recessions as anyone can do the role and is easy to eliminate it. Technical managers at least need some basic tech skills
I am absolutely not trying to avoid technical work and I am fine to be an IC for the rest of my life. However I am very interested in engineering management path and that’s why this post
If PM work is easy, why do they get paid so well ? (At least that’s my assumption)
If you are good at politics, feel free to switch to management track. Otherwise focus on real tech.
I am definitely convinced that management track is perfect for me. However it does not look like that’s a good option anymore going forward if this trend of flattening continues
There is always 10 engineering roles for every manager role.. and i did all the interviews super well at a faang company for EM role and have been in the domain for long time.. still they came back telling that it is not role match and if i would do IC roles.. i am still talking to them. Looks like good roles internal people nab it.. so good to get something inside apple. There are a few openings in linkedin
I agree. That's the general sentiment in tech right now. If your goal is job security, then staying IC provides a lot of stability throughout this period than managers. Google for example has been flattening manager roles across the company this year and many who cannot convert to Uber TLs are being asked to leave or risk reduction. On the other hand, the job market for senior+ IC roles remains high. ... but again, if you can transition into a manager role and you actually like it, then do it! I found management jobs to be a lot more chill than ICs.
I found management jobs to much less chill than ICs. The biggest reason being that there isn’t time flexibility with meetings all day.
As a manager I can tell that life as a manager is a lot harder right now compared to IC. Lot fewer opportunities for switch and growth. Why do you think you want to switch to management? If you're clear about it, then your best bet is internal switch ideally in your current team. External companies won't hire you as manager without any management experience.
Will there ever be an era which is bad for politicans and law makers? no? Same rule for managers. Since they make the decisions, the industry will always be skewed to their benefit.
I'm staying IC, better job security and sometimes higher or equivalent pay depending on industry
Thats true.. in intel at the same level ICs are paid higher upto VP.. above VP, executive managers take total control..
I have been both and honestly it just looks like grass greener on other side from both sides
I am not clear. How is it at Google ? Are there management opportunities for L6 plus engineers ?