Not everyone wants to be a manager

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[url]Who are these managers who aren't also technical experts doing the same work as their direct reports? [b]I need to get one of those gigs. I constantly hear about managers only signing time sheets and performance evaluations. Sigh.

I'm a millennial and became a manager because I wanted to run my own program. I got sick of managers who didn't know as much as me telling me what to do. If you have a great manager though, there's no reason to keep climbing the ladder. Being a manager is the worst. You can have one poor performer who takes up 30 hours a week of your time, and that becomes your life for a while.

This. I’m a manager and I do the exact same work as my team plus all the “fun” managing duties. What companies pay managers to do admin only? Seriously, tell me. I need to apply there.

[Anonymous]

It use to be a great job decades ago when everyone had their own AA and there wasn’t a flood of emails coming at you everyday. Today, it’s more stress and more work for little extra pay + less job security.

[Anonymous]

In my experience (hospital) the people who would make good managers don’t want to do it because they value work life balance too much and want to punch out at the end of the shift and go home. The people who apply for every management job starting from age 22 and claw their way up are NEVER who you’d actually want for a manager. Generally they have an ego that far outstrips their intelligence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[url]Who are these managers who aren't also technical experts doing the same work as their direct reports? [b]I need to get one of those gigs. I constantly hear about managers only signing time sheets and performance evaluations. Sigh.

I'm a millennial and became a manager because I wanted to run my own program. I got sick of managers who didn't know as much as me telling me what to do. If you have a great manager though, there's no reason to keep climbing the ladder. Being a manager is the worst. You can have one poor performer who takes up 30 hours a week of your time, and that becomes your life for a while.

This. I’m a manager and I do the exact same work as my team plus all the “fun” managing duties. What companies pay managers to do admin only? Seriously, tell me. I need to apply there.

DP. This. And to top it off, I’m a fed, so several of my staff make as much as I do.

[Anonymous]

I’m a fed and we have loads of SME’s with only a few managers. Most people finish out their career without going into management and make a decent salary (for government work).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of jobs have WLB, including jobs that older people are doing. It's not like everyone over 50 has a big job. The issue is that you also want a 'good living' and 'meaningful work', and you probably define those in a way that excludes most jobs.

If the kind of job you want is the kind of job that a lot of other people also want, you are going to have to compete for it in some way, and unless you are unusually brilliant or well-connected or something else, one of the ways you will have to compete for it is with your time.

Yep. The choice is: BIG job or NO job

50+ IC are too expensive and rarely earn their keep compared to a mid career promotion to that role.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a fed and we have loads of SME’s with only a few managers. Most people finish out their career without going into management and make a decent salary (for government work).

That only worked in govt because it doesn’t practice ageism common in corporate world and layoff older (ie expensive) workers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It use to be a great job decades ago when everyone had their own AA and there wasn’t a flood of emails coming at you everyday. Today, it’s more stress and more work for little extra pay + less job security.

3-martini lunches!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who are these managers who aren't also technical experts doing the same work as their direct reports? I need to get one of those gigs. I constantly hear about managers only signing time sheets and performance evaluations. Sigh.

I'm a millennial and became a manager because I wanted to run my own program. I got sick of managers who didn't know as much as me telling me what to do. If you have a great manager though, there's no reason to keep climbing the ladder. Being a manager is the worst. You can have one poor performer who takes up 30 hours a week of your time, and that becomes your life for a while.

I am leagues ahead of my direct reports in terms of technical skills. Because I don’t have budget to hire my equals.

[Anonymous]

Some careers are up or out. For instance in Audit at Big 4 there is no such thing as 40 year old junior auditors. In fact you usually make manager by year 5 so if you started at 22 by 27 you got to manage or they will push you out.

Also if a man to be honest unless you move up you get paid less, your wife cant be a SAHM, your kids cant go to nice colleges, you cant live in a nice town. And if wife does work full time unless she is managing people now you just got two lower paid jobs. Still not much help One of you have to step up.

I get paid on average in my career $200K a year more than my staff to be boss. I got to that level around 45 and plan to do it till 65.

That is an extra 4 million pay. That is a huge difference over career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of jobs have WLB, including jobs that older people are doing. It's not like everyone over 50 has a big job. The issue is that you also want a 'good living' and 'meaningful work', and you probably define those in a way that excludes most jobs.

If the kind of job you want is the kind of job that a lot of other people also want, you are going to have to compete for it in some way, and unless you are unusually brilliant or well-connected or something else, one of the ways you will have to compete for it is with your time.

Yep. The choice is: BIG job or NO job

50+ IC are too expensive and rarely earn their keep compared to a mid career promotion to that role.

A small team of 4 may need one 50 year old expert IC to “help” juniors. A large team of 30+may need 3-5. So if you are not looking to get promoted, the % of headcount allocated to more expensive ICs will decrease as you age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some careers are up or out. For instance in Audit at Big 4 there is no such thing as 40 year old junior auditors. In fact you usually make manager by year 5 so if you started at 22 by 27 you got to manage or they will push you out.

Also if a man to be honest unless you move up you get paid less, your wife cant be a SAHM, your kids cant go to nice colleges, you cant live in a nice town. And if wife does work full time unless she is managing people now you just got two lower paid jobs. Still not much help One of you have to step up.

I get paid on average in my career $200K a year more than my staff to be boss. I got to that level around 45 and plan to do it till 65.

That is an extra 4 million pay. That is a huge difference over career.

Take capital one as example, if you are not “outstanding” in your role, but you meet the job requirements, you get pushed out too.

[Anonymous]

My manager doesn't do anything as far as I can tell, so I'd love to become one myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[url]Who are these managers who aren't also technical experts doing the same work as their direct reports? [b]I need to get one of those gigs. I constantly hear about managers only signing time sheets and performance evaluations. Sigh.

I'm a millennial and became a manager because I wanted to run my own program. I got sick of managers who didn't know as much as me telling me what to do. If you have a great manager though, there's no reason to keep climbing the ladder. Being a manager is the worst. You can have one poor performer who takes up 30 hours a week of your time, and that becomes your life for a while.

This. I’m a manager and I do the exact same work as my team plus all the “fun” managing duties. What companies pay managers to do admin only? Seriously, tell me. I need to apply there.

Seems the company got a double with your salary. If you’re having to perform the same work duties and manage, there’s an issue within your organization or your micro manager, and you have no self-awareness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who are these managers who aren't also technical experts doing the same work as their direct reports? I need to get one of those gigs. I constantly hear about managers only signing time sheets and performance evaluations. Sigh.

I'm a millennial and became a manager because I wanted to run my own program. I got sick of managers who didn't know as much as me telling me what to do. If you have a great manager though, there's no reason to keep climbing the ladder. Being a manager is the worst. You can have one poor performer who takes up 30 hours a week of your time, and that becomes your life for a while.

I am leagues ahead of my direct reports in terms of technical skills. Because I don’t have budget to hire my equals.

Management often lacks technical abilities. Those whom can’t do, manage.