Wow, this has been an appealing read.
A bit of context: I'm 36, and I studied Engineering first, followed by Management of IT Systems. I enjoy management but also appreciate working on the technical stuff. And I've been a professor in college fo the last 5 years.
you get promoted, and getting promoted means taking on larger responsibilites such as having subordinates and making sure a process or program is running smoothly.
Some people say they won't go into management, and that's fine.
I know it's painful for some people to grow in their careers by managing people.
"I want to keep programming / drawing / fixing machines, I don't want to only supervise people not working on what I love"
t has been a long-standing dilemma, and as professionals, we have attempted various approaches, most of which have been unsuccessful most of the time:
When Professionals Have to Manage
I can take up a technical challenge all day and work until I can figure it out, but people problems don't have a clear-cut answer most of the time
being told you suck as a boss
Yes, it sucks so hard. It can be incredibly challenging. I believe it begins with a shift in our mindset. As engineers, our job is to strive for excellence, aiming for Six Sigma and 99.99% uptime.
However, when working with people, it's rare to achieve those same percentages. Anyone can fall ill, conflicts can arise between team members, and people can become tired. In sales, the percentages can be even lower. Closing 33% of deals is often seen as an ideal number, but sometimes it can be lower than 5%.
You just have to have thick skin, learn from it, and move on.
Agreed!
I wish this stuff was taught when I was younger.
Sadly, for me, teaching that to younger people is extremely hard.
They often lack interest, whether they are my students, colleagues, or listeners of my content. Working directly on code, a canvas, or the hardware seems more appealing to them than engaging in indirect activities through people. This was also true for me when I was in my 20s.
=> I do think that the kids on sports teams had/have an advantage because they understand what it's like to be a part of a team and pull together.
Yeah, I agree. I say to my younger ones to practice a sport, whether it's esports, physical sports (which is beneficial for sedentary individuals like me), or any form of competitive activity.
The experience of competing, facing victories and losses, can make it easier to handle competition in the workplace where success percentages are not always 100%.
I've found that in school the system doesn't teach us to fail, at least in a moderate amount. As professors, we can't teach people to fail, because it's out of the system.
So, failing is torture, results in being fired, losing your progress at school. Starting over. Missing that 'deserved degree which will bring us opportunities.
In some way, this is life. But that's a longer reflection.
As I say to those people, formal school is only about 20% of your education. The remaining comes from life experience. So learning to manage can only be learned by managing. Poorly, badly, at the start.
As I say as well: Doing it is when you learn if managing is for you.
⁂
EOT
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