Link: A career ending mistake

Intro

John Arundel wrote about the importance of planning a career in tech. To be frank, there is nothing eye-opening, but he articulated it very well. The article is a good summary of the big picture.

Highlights

By “the end”, I don't necessarily mean picking your retirement date. What we're really talking about is the aim or goal of your career.

I think there are three main kinds of career destination, at least in the tech industry: 1. Independent 2. Senior individual contributor (IC) 3. Management

Independent:

Running your own business, or otherwise being an independent worker, is great for those who like it.

On the other hand, not everyone wants the hassle of marketing their business and pitching clients, or the headache of handling accounts and taxes. And not everyone can manage on an irregular, unpredictable income, especially if they have a family to support.

In a big company, you can learn on the job. When you run your own company, you'd better already know your trade.

If you can make the time, it's a good idea to dip your toe into independent working by doing a few small, one-off side gigs.

Senior individual contributor (IC):

You'll be at the highest level of your profession, and getting well paid to excel at the work you love.

There are limitations, though. You probably won't get to choose what to work on, and you may not agree with the decisions of the powers that be. In fact, it's practically certain you won't. If, in the end, you can't live with those decisions, you can go work for another company, but you'll find the same dynamic there.

A better strategy is to take personal control of your skills development, and take it seriously.

Management:

Engineering managers need a background of technical competence, but the work itself is primarily about leading, supervising, hiring, and developing the skills of other technical people. It turns out those are all skills, too, and relatively rare ones.

If you've ever had a really good boss, you'll remember them all your life, and, if you're lucky, emulate them.

Indeed, managers can have an outsize influence on events.

If you want to become a great manager, which I think is the only kind worth being, start practising now. Learn people skills, communication, collaboration, psychology. Work on understanding the things that make different kinds of people tick. Manage yourself excellently.

A great manager understands what's happening with each person in their team, and can be there to eliminate problems and roadblocks almost before they happen. Why shouldn't you start doing this kind of thing right now, rather than waiting to be told?

In the end, the author made the point that it's about planning out every step precisely. Opportunities often come out of surprise. But it's essential to be aware of where you are steering your career. It's like surfing:

Surfing is such an amazing concept. You’re taking on Nature with a little stick and saying, “I’m gonna ride you!” And a lot of times Nature says, “No you’re not!” and crashes you to the bottom. —Jolene Blalock

Closing Comments

These three categories shouldn't only apply in tech careers. However, the senior independent contributor path might not be that desirable in many industries due to a lack of good leverage: a great software engineer could singlehandedly solve hard problems for millions, whereas a great lawyer has to hire others (and manage them) to take more cases. But I predict this situation will change in many industries in the next decade since more things are becoming software 😎.

The three paths the author laid out can sometimes cross. I have an ex-colleague, who failed in founding an energy tech company and then worked as a Product Manager for Google Cloud. It's also not uncommon to hear senior managers quitting the giants and starting their own companies.

Know what kind of game you want to play, and be prepared.