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Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers

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Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers

#231

Post by [deleted] »

JimboOmega wrote: post #228
HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think some people really do need role models, so if you don't see any female engineering managers, it may be harder to envision yourself in that position. That said, you do need to unlearn a bunch of stuff. You have to (at least pretend to) be confident, do things without permission, be self-motivating, etc. It's going to be very difficult to manage people and have them take you seriously if you can't get yourself…

I need to write a whole blog post about the subject of role models, but basically, yes. Even simple stuff like "how do I dress?" is hard to answer when you don't have role models. Or how do you resist people who talk over you without being seen as difficult? You're right about unlearning behaviors, though easier said than done. I'm relatively self motivated when I'm not interfered with, but when I get negative feedba…

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers

#232

Post by mixmastamyk »

LordFast wrote: post #230
HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think some people really do need role models, so if you don't see any female engineering managers, it may be harder to envision yourself in that position. That said, you do need to unlearn a bunch of stuff. You have to (at least pretend to) be confident, do things without permission, be self-motivating, etc. It's going to be very difficult to manage people and have them take you seriously if you can't get yourself…

I have a couple of questions. 1. What type of product/service has your team been building? 2. What did you do when 10 non-permission-seeking engineers went off in different directions doing their own things?

One worker acting alone, part time, is unable to tackle very large problems. At the point where the solution needs coordination, it happens.

Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers

#233

Post by UncleMeat »

vi-mode wrote: post #165
UncleMeat wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay. And lots of people don't find grabbing tickets and coding all day to be a lot of fun. Management is work. But so is coding. Some people prefer one. Some people prefer the other.

Um. Most people never managed many other people, how should they know what they prefer?

I've managed other people and find it more fun than coding. You do you.

Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers

#234

Post by sanderjd »

redleader9345 wrote: post #79
sanderjd wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Without commenting on the specifics on your comment: what does this have to do with the OP's book? If anything, writing a book with ideas, experiences, and techniques aimed at helping people be better at this job is responsive to all the problems you identify.

Just commentary on the engineer turned manager narrative. Please forgive if it is out of place. Should I delete it?

Nah sorry for calling you out like that, it's slightly off topic but a fine rant. For what it's worth, I agree with many of your points, but hope we can do better as the profession continues to mature.

Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers

#235

Post by anthony_barker »

Jemaclus wrote: post #141
JimboOmega wrote: post #73

Does the book cover how to get the position in the first place? I've read countless books (Like "The Managers Path" and "Managing Humans"), blog articles, etc, and tried many strategies, but it never seems to happen. Usually for the catch-22 reason of not having managing experience. I've even had past managers they had no worries about me having the skills or knowledge to do it... but it still doesn't happen.

The tactic that worked for me was to bring it up to my boss. I set up a 1:1 with him, and said "In 2-3 years, I want your job. How can I get there?" (and "want your job" obviously means "to do what you do" not literally take their job) If you have a good manager, they'll set you up for success, working with you to create a roadmap to get from IC to Manager. The steps in between would probably entail taking on larger…

This only works in growing industries. In many industries the answer has been lets see if there is a department in 3 years.

Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers

#236

Post by jstanier »

matttah wrote: post #100
jstanier wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey - icon set? What do you mean by icon set? :-)

Just the images on the front page, guess a bit bigger than icons!

I /think/ I know what you're talking about, but just in case this gets derailed in a back-and-forth and lost, then feel free to contact me on Twitter @jstanier or my email is in my profile - we can chat more easily there.

Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers

#237

Post by pkalinowski »

supernova87a wrote: post #67
brianmcc wrote: post #32

If anyone is considering moving into engineering management, you'd do well to look not just at the how but the why . If it's for status/salary rather than the change in nature of the work be very careful about making the move. You need to really want to manage and develop people (with all the idiosyncracies that real human beings come with!), and to communicate, co-ordinate, and delegate for a living. Some will love…

Yes, junior people frequently make the incorrect assumption that entering management is a promotion (partly because we have made the mistake of unthinkingly treating/rewarding it as such). They are often incentivized to seek management roles as part of a "this must be my career path" because of the associated salary. It is a different role, and not merely a coder who tells people what to do. It has a different skill…

Managing people work is not that bad by itself - you delegate things you don't want to yourself do or you want to give more resources to.

If you can do interesting work and use your team to help, it's great. The problem with management IMO is all the politics, "managing expectations" (I think this term must have been coined by some hardcore sociopath) and team quality.

You rarely have team of senior experts only so you can focus on doing great job. You have people underperforming, having issues with others etc. Also, employee personal agenda is often more or less different from company goals - it's a constant battle.

Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers

#238

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

LordFast wrote: post #230
HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think some people really do need role models, so if you don't see any female engineering managers, it may be harder to envision yourself in that position. That said, you do need to unlearn a bunch of stuff. You have to (at least pretend to) be confident, do things without permission, be self-motivating, etc. It's going to be very difficult to manage people and have them take you seriously if you can't get yourself…

I have a couple of questions. 1. What type of product/service has your team been building? 2. What did you do when 10 non-permission-seeking engineers went off in different directions doing their own things?

1. We build a variety of low-power wireless devices.

2. If you're managing people you should know what they're doing, and immediately correct this behavior. I'm a big fan of the phrase "stop doing that" because, yeah, it happens. By now my team knows that they have agency, but if they deviate from the plan to let me know.

Re: Show HN: I wrote a book for engineers that want to become engineering managers

#239

Post by turk73 »

nullspace wrote: post #224
volkk wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Realistically speaking though, manager is an upwards trajectory in the CS world. Most companies don't define the IC track well, and a staff engineer is usually a 10 year veteran whereas a manager path, even if you hate it with a passion is a quick way to get a really high salary with low years of experience. Even more salary once you become director and that's not out of the realm of normal with 5-7 years of exp. I k…

I don’t know whether you’re right or wrong, but calling someone a veteran based on 10 years of exp, and a director after 5 to 7 years sounds like a recipe for disaster. (Unless you literally started the company or something Like that). Could this actually explain why a lot of people don’t like their managers? Because they are just too damn inexperienced. Re: knowing few staff or principal engs, my personal anecdotal…

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