> ...it soon becomes a race to climb the corporate ladder or die...
Oh man, i'm at the dying stage (metaphorically). I made the mistake long ago of moving to management, and have regretted it for years. But, its somewhat weird for me in that any and all of my direct reports throughout all of my decades actually love me as a technical leader...they all really like working for me, stated that they're the most productive in their lives working with me, havce felt happy coming to work, yada, yada, etc. But man, do i ever hate being management. So, over the years i thought that maybe what gives me happiness is not coding, but maybe solving problems in other ways...so i pivoted to project manager and product manager roles. Nope! While product manager roles come closest for me to get intellectual fulfillment, there's nothing more satsifying to me than coding and managing complex systems. So, then i tried coding again on the side...but unfortunately the languiages and systems that i love to play with (python and linux) are not the ones that tend to be used by the corporate companies that i jhave been employed at. So, i tried getting jobs at smaller firms...and honestly its really hit or miss. Either its some startup that i have no clue if they will survive (and hey i have bills to pay, dont have time to play games)...or its a small business where the senior leaders don't respect the value of what technology brings to an org., etc. Of course, i can always quit my jobs, and start at the bottom again, and code for peanuts...and if i get hit by a layoff, i'm not so proud that i won;t do what i must for my family...but, wow, i wish i can go back to an IC role that is more coding and managing complex systems, and less people management...for someone like my age (pushing 50).
If it serves of consolation, I always found that people who are not enamorated of power and have questionings about their leadership roles make the best leaders.
And man, have you ever considered coding again as a side gig? maybe start your own business on the side?
Yeah i had a side hustle for several years, and found lots of the work quite rewarding (especially in the intellectual fulfillment sense). But if there is anywhere that i suck in life it's leading sales. I'm pretty good as a second banana to another sales lead...but since I ran a one-man show my sales acquisition record for my side hustle was abysmal - even though my existing clients at the time loved me! :-)
But, yeah i considering starting something up again but maybe partner with someone better at sales.
Wouldn't architect role be something you're looking for? Of course, there's a lot of different types of architects and some are just bullshit slidemakers, but you could get some coding and a lot of complex problem solving in right architect role.
You hit the nail on the head there! My current role is as an architect...however my peers and i are really forced to be nothing more than bullshit slidemakers (senior IT at my current employer values the opinions of one of those big consultancies...leaving my peers and I to only focus on making slides - which is ridiculous and so sad...Anyway, yeah, I had the same idea as what you receommended - basically getting an architect role - but so far it has been vastly far from ideal. I tried applying for other architect roles at other employers, but none (so far) have sound palatable; either they're some sort of the same slidemaking bullshit, or they're looking for someone who has been an architect for 20 years (which i have not been this role for that long), etc. I'll keep looking for archi roles...but we'll see. I do appreciate your recommendation, and very much enjoyed learning a new (and true!) vocabulary term of: bullshit slidemaker! Thanks! :-)
Oh man, i'm at the dying stage (metaphorically). I made the mistake long ago of moving to management, and have regretted it for years. But, its somewhat weird for me in that any and all of my direct reports throughout all of my decades actually love me as a technical leader...they all really like working for me, stated that they're the most productive in their lives working with me, havce felt happy coming to work, yada, yada, etc. But man, do i ever hate being management. So, over the years i thought that maybe what gives me happiness is not coding, but maybe solving problems in other ways...so i pivoted to project manager and product manager roles. Nope! While product manager roles come closest for me to get intellectual fulfillment, there's nothing more satsifying to me than coding and managing complex systems. So, then i tried coding again on the side...but unfortunately the languiages and systems that i love to play with (python and linux) are not the ones that tend to be used by the corporate companies that i jhave been employed at. So, i tried getting jobs at smaller firms...and honestly its really hit or miss. Either its some startup that i have no clue if they will survive (and hey i have bills to pay, dont have time to play games)...or its a small business where the senior leaders don't respect the value of what technology brings to an org., etc. Of course, i can always quit my jobs, and start at the bottom again, and code for peanuts...and if i get hit by a layoff, i'm not so proud that i won;t do what i must for my family...but, wow, i wish i can go back to an IC role that is more coding and managing complex systems, and less people management...for someone like my age (pushing 50).