There comes a time in a software developer's career when they have to choose between two options in their Dual career ladder: being an individual contributor or a manager. Here is what being each of these means 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 (2020) is all about being a manager, but here are some useful pointers:
It's worth mentioning that this might not be a one-way street: Engineer/Manager pendulum