About being an individual contributor versus being a manager

It comes a time in a software developer's career that they have to choose between two options in their 202105131455 Dual career ladder: being an individual contributor or a manger. Here are what being each of these mean for me:

• Individual contributors (ICs) are in charge of developing features, making architectural decisions, mentoring other developers and being big influencers when it comes to technical decisions
• Managers are in charge of guaranteeing that their team operates well and have positive outcomes. Managers are also in charge of their team members well being and development. [#stanier-effective-manager] is all about being a manager, but here are some useful pointers:
  • 202105051235 Mentoring
  • 202105051358 Coaching
  • 202103101846 A manager's outcome
  • 202103101754 A manager's tools of trade
  • 202103101840 Meaning of productivity to a manager

It's worth mentioning that this might not be a one-way street: 202105131622 Engineering or Manager pendulum

[#stanier-effective-manager]: Stanier, Dr. James. Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager. 1st ed. S.l.: Pragmatic Bookshelf, 2020.