Why You Should Consider Becoming an Engineering Manager: My Story

How I became an Engineering Manager and my substantial career growth after that

I have been working as an Engineering Manager for years and I believes it’s my best career move.

When I was a Software Engineer, I got mixed feelings about management. Managers always looked busy and stressed. That did not seem fun at all. I also heard a lot of negative comments, such as “management is for those who run away from development”.

I’m glad I didn’t listen to that.

One day I got lucky to get a chance to try out the management path. And I love it! I wouldn’t say it’s easy, but it’s fun and rewarding.

Let me explain how I became an Engineering Manager, and why I think every software engineer should consider the management path.

The Trigger

I had been a software engineer for around 8 years. I focused on solving technical problems. Honestly, during that time, I never thought about moving to a management position.

However, one thing changed me.

Throughout these years, I found myself very excited about organizational changes. For example: adding a new role, changing the evaluation framework, or splitting the team. Every time I heard about organization change like this, I would talk to my manager to explore these changes. Why? How? When?

And I started to wonder, maybe I want to be part of this process. Maybe I want to start these initiatives by myself. Maybe I want to be able to comment on these changes. I was not sure if that’s the right path for me, but knew I wanted to give it a try.

Making the Transition

I talked to my manager about this. Fortunately, he was very supportive. He helped me set up my career goals and action items. He explained to me the requirements, the application process, and the responsibilities.

We figured out two major gaps:

• Track record of strong soft skills.

• Visibility among the management team.

So for the next 12 months, I put my focus on these two aspects. Some of the achievements I have done:

1. I started to have 1-on-1 meetings with all my team members, focusing on finding out team improvement items.

2. I started cross-team technical initiatives.

3. I tried non-development initiatives, such as language environment improvements. As in many Japanese companies, a lot of team members struggled with language use of English/Japanese working environment.

Each project was challenging, but I could gradually build up my soft-skill resume and visibility among managers.

At last, my manager was able to gather my achievements and put it as an application. And it was approved!

And then… he left the company, so I took over his role. I think he was helping me and helping himself with his career transition at the same time 😅.

Substantial Career Growth as EM

It was a big change in my career path, and I believe it is the best decision I have made. It levels up my skills and gives me better sense of achievements.

👁️ 1. New perspectives

When I worked as an engineer, I mostly thought about the system and the codes. But as a manager, I need to cover a lot more:

• The company goals: How do our projects align with the company's broader mission? Are we contributing to the right objectives?

• The team goals: Are we meeting deadlines and product goals such as SLO?

• Member happiness: Is the team environment healthy? Are members’ careers progressing?

This gives me new perspectives about prioritization.

My definition of success changed too. It wasn't just about shipping features anymore. I cared about team health, career growth, and long-term sustainability. It becomes more complicated, but provides me with a broader perspective.

As a result, I am able to create bigger impact as a team instead of as an individual.

💭 2. I’m a Better Problem-Solver

Engineering Managers need to work as a bridge among different teams, such as product, business, design, QA, etc. This requires understanding of each domain, and most of the time we need to help resolve their problems as well.

Now I have a wider understanding of domains, and the solutions I am able to come up with have a wider angle. For example, when a project is delayed, as an engineer, I would probably only have one or two solutions:

• Use a fast & temporary solution, and move to a better solution later

• Do overtime to finish the project

However, as a manager, I now have more options:

• Move secondary specs to the next stage

• Postpone the deadline

• Add more members to the project

• And others…

This allows me to be a better problem-solver in general. It enables me to be more resourceful and more flexible.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 3. Satisfactions of Enabling Others

One of the best parts of being a manager is helping others. It's an amazing process to collaborate with team members and see them grow.

One key mission is to support individuals. It’s usually a loop of setting goals, tracking progress, and giving feedback. For example, if a member does not know how to ask questions effectively, I would work with them to find out a better way to do it, and see them taking actions.

It feels satisfying when members are able to grow by following the plan we create together. Their success becomes my success.

Overcoming Challenges

Being an EM (Engineering Manager) is a rewarding journey, but it comes with a lot of challenges.

1. Handling Pressure

One main challenge is always having multiple complex problems at hand. I often feel like I'm juggling a dozen balls at once. There's always a fire to put out. I have to keep track of multiple projects, deadlines, and team members' needs.

One main reason is that Engineering Managers are the entry point of all requests, problems, and questions. They are also the safety net of the team. Easy problems will delegate to other members. The hard problems go to the manager.

However, I view it differently. Constant pressure means I am always out of my comfort zone, which means I am always growing. I don’t consider having pressure bad. It is a proof that I am moving forward (as long as I don’t burn out).

2. Handling failures

Yes, we all fail sometime. Failure is part of the learning process. Junior engineers make mistakes that senior members need to help with. Junior Engineering Managers also make mistakes that Senior managers might frown upon.

I made a lot of mistakes when I started. For example:

• I promised one engineer that I could promote him to management role, without a proper review with any stakeholders like SEM and HR. That promotion was rejected.

• I started a project and it got stuck. I prioritized irrelevant work and never jumped on the real challenges. I was removed from the project.

However, those failures did not stop me from moving forward. I reflect on myself, I find improvement points, and I start again. It is similar to handling pressures. We find a way to overcome it.

⭐️ Your Leadership Journey: Here’s How I Can Help

If you are interested in becoming an engineering leader, no matter it’s Tech Lead, Engineering Manager, or Staff Engineer, let’s do it together.

I’m writing an e-book: A Guide for Software Engineers moving to Engineering Managers. The book serves as a guide for software engineers who look for transitioning to the management path.

For the following weeks, I will be publishing the content each week as paid content. Upgrade to paid plan now to enjoy the early bird discount by 50%. This discount will end when the book is published.

The book will include the following:

• Roles of Engineering Managers

• Is management right for you

• Requirements and reality checklist

• How to make a successful transition

• Your first 90 days as a new Engineering Manager

(Book title & contents subject to change)

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