Anonymous
Post 06/02/2026 15:45     Subject: Not everyone wants to be a manager
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If you don’t want to be a manager, the half wit Joe will get promoted and his insecure ass will make you miserable. Better yet, half wit Joe will even PIP you to prove a point.



This. Better to be a manager than to be managed by an idiot.


Ooof. I failed out at managing and fell back to being a (much lower paid) individual contributor.
So, yes, I was an ineffective manager. And my name is "Joe"
Anonymous
Post 06/02/2026 13:02     Subject: Not everyone wants to be a manager
Anonymous wrote:My manager doesn't do anything as far as I can tell, so I'd love to become one myself.


I had a meeting with my brand new manager and she spent the meeting complaining that the company refused to pay to have her office professionally decorated. She had a few pieces of art that consisted of her own first name in calligraphy and she wanted someone to come hang those as well. When I brought up some projects for the year she waved it away with “I don’t know anything about that.” Did I mention that she was wearing pajamas at this meeting because it was “too early for her”? Really stellar hire.
Anonymous
Post 06/02/2026 13:02     Subject: Not everyone wants to be a manager
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
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.


No. That's not how it works where I am. No one gets to swan around doing PPTs and spreadsheets. Even management higher than me will have to come back down to the trenches now and then to backfill our very heavy workload. I have to backstop each of my direct reports. There is no time to micromanage. We're a team.


NP. This is great management. A senior manager that comes into the trenches to backfill is awesome. Mine do the same. I have previously worked for many, many persons who could not even tell you what my job entailed, let alone had the ability to do it. They were unable to advocate for us because they just didn't understand anything.
Anonymous
Post 06/02/2026 12:55     Subject: Not everyone wants to be a manager
Anonymous wrote:
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.


No. That's not how it works where I am. No one gets to swan around doing PPTs and spreadsheets. Even management higher than me will have to come back down to the trenches now and then to backfill our very heavy workload. I have to backstop each of my direct reports. There is no time to micromanage. We're a team.
Anonymous
Post 06/02/2026 11:52     Subject: Not everyone wants to be a manager
Anonymous wrote:
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.


NP. All the managers I know perform the same or more duties than their employees. Plus managing. At my org we are very team oriented.

I don't have the capacity to micromanage. Every few years, I end up with an employee who needs intensive supervision, training, and performance management (PIP). Those situations can take so much time and energy that the rest of my workload falls behind for months. I always debate quitting because my job isn't doable when I need to micromanage like that. I need more personnel.

Oh and I am a fed who makes about 10k than my direct reports. Fun times!
Anonymous
Post 06/02/2026 11:43     Subject: Not everyone wants to be a manager
My biggest problem when I'm in a management situation is I know I can do a better job than the people working for me, so I do it myself. I've been unable to get over that.
Anonymous
Post 06/02/2026 11:41     Subject: Not everyone wants to be a manager
Anonymous wrote:My manager doesn't do anything as far as I can tell, so I'd love to become one myself.


😂😂😂