If you were about to get more responsibility and obviously are climbint the corporate ladder, isn't that growth? Is not this the opportunity to be able to influence change in your organisation and be able to tackle all the issues in which you find at fault?
Don't Get Stuck
21–30 of 68 posts
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#22Re: Don't Get Stuck
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
Regarding management, it's a bootstrapping issue: The main requirement for an engineering management position is management experience. The easiest way to get it is to stay at one place for 3-4 years. The move based on that experience.
There are really three categories of management: * Line management: are you willing to be the man and promulgate the party line? You can be mostly apolitical in this role. * Middle management: are you willing to be the pawn of a specific member or two of senior management and do their bidding (which probably isn’t fully aligned with the party line)? * Senior management: do you know how to intelligently break the rule…
One example I know from the 80's: you're a director of a factory in some South-American country that produces something. It's making a loss of a few million dollars per year, and everyone at the parent company for which this factory is simply a small business unit thinks it will amount to nothing.
In two years, you've turned the situation around and are profitable with 1 million dollars per year.
The company promotes you to your next role and your successor shows how difficult your challenge was, as it's losing a few million dollars per year again.
The trick in this case: be competent, and become friends with the local South-American director, as upon arrival you realize that the company you're running is actually owned 50% by the company you work for. The other 50% is owned by some South-American company and the whole reason it loses money is because they cannot connect with the South-American director.
True story, can't disclose sources, but anyone who has seen the 80's might know similar stories.
That was then though.
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#24It would be helpful to the reader if the text was easier to see. A story displayed in light gray on white is difficult to read.
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#25I have a rule: if I've been doing the same job for two years, it's time to leave. Especially in this industry, getting comfortable can be disastrous. There's no job security, ever, but it's remarkably easy to fool oneself into thinking there is. And then suddenly it's gone, and a hostile job market with skills 5 years out of date.
Does different job, same company count?
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#26I tell you one thing. If you think that a company will be offering you new tech after every X months or Y years then you are wrong. Tech world does not like that. Think of the investment a company does to bring in a tech stack. It is not all about downloading a new tech, it is about finding and hiring resources. If they all start changing tech based on wish list then they never can progress. I remember something my e…
Of course you should not expect a company to refactor every month. Meanwhile companies cannot expect tech enthusiast to stay with them if they don't offer interesting technical projects.
It is a negotiation. I have seen many stack decisions being pushed by HR and it makes a lot of sense.
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#27If you were about to get more responsibility and obviously are climbint the corporate ladder, isn't that growth? Is not this the opportunity to be able to influence change in your organisation and be able to tackle all the issues in which you find at fault?
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#28I have a rule: if I've been doing the same job for two years, it's time to leave. Especially in this industry, getting comfortable can be disastrous. There's no job security, ever, but it's remarkably easy to fool oneself into thinking there is. And then suddenly it's gone, and a hostile job market with skills 5 years out of date.
Not great general advice. Totally agree on no job security... but there’s other ways to succeed then jump ship every 2 years. That’s a great way to have 2 years experience 10 times. Sounds like you haven’t found an employer who invests in your continued skills and development. A good employer/manager will give at least 10% and often 20% for skill dev. With the resume of leaving every 2 years, many recruiters and hiri…
YMMV, but I've found this to be true. Mind you, it's been a decade since I've had to apply it. Freelancing doesn't count, and I'm making an exemption for C-level roles in startups, because they're never the same month to month anyway ;)
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#29It would be helpful to the reader if the text was easier to see. A story displayed in light gray on white is difficult to read.
Re: Don't Get Stuck
#30I feel so stagnant. My company has been bug-fixing non-stop for 6 months now. It's insanity.