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Think beyond money when planning your career
(IDG) -- Should I choose a technical or management career path? "I am currently managing an IT department of five people. The compensation that comes with managing the department is great. The only problem is that I really enjoy programming," a reader wrote to me recently. "I have been wrestling with the idea of which career path I should stick with: managing, where the money is great and the work is OK, or settle for less and go back to programming." Every IT professional who makes it to the senior technical ranks will face the decision of whether to move to management. It isn't a decision that anyone else can make for you. This reader has correctly identified one key issue: money. You can generally earn more as a manager than as a nonmanager. (For more on the financial rewards of long years of technical experience, see "Does experience pay?".) A related issue is that management skills seem to be longer-lasting: If you stick with programming, you'll have to be absolutely certain to keep your skills up to date or you could find yourself struggling with job searches. Management doesn't change as fast as technology, so although it's important for managers to stay current, it isn't as much of an effort. On the other hand, not everyone can be a manager: There are many more staff-level jobs than there are positions for managers. So as long as you make sure you know the latest technology, you may have an easier time finding jobs as a technical specialist than as a manager.
This reader raises another point that's even more important: Not everyone wants to be a manager. It's nice to make money, of course, but after a certain point extra money doesn't make up for having a job you don't like. So consider what kind of challenges you enjoy. If you like the creative aspect of hands-on technical work and are energized by constantly learning new technology, then you probably won't feel like you're stagnating on the technical track even if you reach a plateau in your salary, title, and responsibility. On the other hand, if you enjoy solving business problems and feel most rewarded when you are given increasing responsibility for business decisions, then you will probably be happier as a manager. One wild card in this decision is that the workplace is changing -- and no one knows what it will be like in five or 10 or 20 years. This means that the skills you'll need and the benefits you'll gain, whichever path you choose, are in flux as well. For example, it's likely that in the future, everyone will need more of the skills that are today associated with management. Being able to make a presentation to a group is increasingly important for IT professionals at all levels. (See last week's column for more on this.) Solid communication and project management skills are also growing in importance. In other words, sticking with technical work won't exempt you from having to develop some skills that have traditionally been in the realm of management. It's not clear, either, that taking the technical track will always lead you to a career dead end. Some companies are beginning to create senior positions for technical staff members, allowing the best technical people to continue to progress in terms of salary, responsibility, and title without becoming managers of people. (See "Does experience pay?" and "Career paths for programmers".) Finally, remember this: It's great to think several years ahead when you're making job decisions and to make sure what you're doing today will help you achieve your goals tomorrow. But as the reader I quoted earlier is pondering, it is possible to return to technical work after working in management. The decision you make today isn't written in stone. Margaret Steen has edited InfoWorld's Enterprise Careers section since its inception and has worked as a high-tech journalist since 1994. In a career quandary? Send your Career Currents questions to margaret_steen@infoworld.com. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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