Anyone move from a heavy tech/support role to Management? Regrets?

[vi edit]

I've been doing support for over 15 years. Desktops, networks, servers, and for the last 6 years large scale clinical applications. I've been at the highest level analyst position you can get in my company for the last three years on my current team. My manager just moved up to the director level position above her current role leaving her spot open.

I feel like for the last 4 months while she's been going through the interviews for her position she's slowly been grooming me to move up and fill in her spot.

Just not sure if I really want to.

On one hand it'd be about a 20% pay bump and better benefits accruels. My current team is easily one of the best groups of people you could ask for and I wouldn't be inheriting a disfunctional group. I've got the respect of everyone on the team and even have had some of them outright asking me to apply for the position if our manager got the director position. It'd be a defensive move because who knows what kind of personality they'd fill it with. I see very eye to eye with my current manager and many of my suggestions have been put into place at divisional/organizational level and would continue on further developing the support model and give me more control over that growth and improvement.

But on the other hand, I'm damn good at my current job, provide a unique set of skills that are very hard to replace and would leave a huge gap to try and fill if I moved out of it. I'm not sure if I really want to deal with the HR side of things...reviews, PTO approvals, filling in spots on sick call in's, ect.

Which is really the question...anyone here move from a technical position to a management position and just hate the move and regret it?

 

[CZroe]

Take the job.
Continue doing most of your old work with the new ability to make bigger decisions, call bigger shots, and delegate anything.
???
Profit.

IOW: Delegate most of the new/old duties that would interfere with you continuing to do most of your old work.

 

[kranky]

Wish I had time to write everything I could offer on this topic. In general it's a move that can lead to more opportunities - the world could use more project managers who know software, that's for sure. Know that your relationships with your co-workers must change if you become their manager. What used to be grab a beer with a couple guys after work will now become "Oh, it's vi_edit going out with his favorite pets." If you socialize with your coworkers it will be awkward.

Managing is a lot different than being one of the people doing the work. There are times you must do things that will make someone unhappy, usually when someone from higher up issues orders that you have to execute. And you can't pass blame - you have to be a stand-up guy and defend the action.

If you feel you have a good understand of what the job entails based on what you were told by the previous incumbent, I would give it a shot for the following reasons:
- Your new boss would be the same as the old boss (apologies to The Who). You'd probably get a lot of support and mentoring.
- You already have a solid team in place and do not have to build from scratch.
- If it doesn't work out you could probably go back to the technical track.

If you feel your boss was grooming you, and your boss is now at a higher level over that position, then your boss must feel you can do it well.

Certainly many people have made that move and hated it but the reasons would be all over the place and I suspect most of the time it was problems with the higher up boss(es).

The biggest difference is that before you did what you knew needed to be done. In the new gig, you would be in the middle - orders from above, needs and problems from below. It can be tough to adjust to but it sounds to be that the circumstances are just about ideal to give it a shot. You are at the highest level you can achieve in your current position.

 

[PenguinPower]

If you want to be a good manager, you are going to be devoting between 70-90% of your time on your people, and not just with things like reviews, PTO approval, etc. That's minor admin. You're going to have to be thinking succession, development, role fit, change management etc. If you don't care about being a good manager, then do what CZroe said.

If you are good at the tactical and like the tactical, stay in the tactical. If you are thinking about taking it for defensive purposes, stay in your role. If you like thinking about the big picture, want to work on improving people, etc...take the job.

 

[iamwiz82]

I did that switch and hated it, found a new job more technically focused. I had no problem leading the team and making decisions, but having a few dozen people under you means you are almost entirely devoted to the managerial side.

 

[KidNiki1]

imho, management is comparable to having to babysit a bunch of teenagers who aren't your kids.

the pay and benefits are much better (usually). but the amount of work you do with your given field vs dealing with crap from the people you manage and the people for whom you do the managing is like 5% vs 95%. Delegating work out does not necessarily keep you doing what you wanted to do.

and as kranky said, your relationship dynamic with your current co-workers is going to completely change. and no matter how much of a good group they are, you will be astounded at the amount of BS that you will still have to deal with.

my experience with it was that for me personally, it ended up not being worth the hassle at all. but i'm not really a people person to begin with.

 

[vi edit]

If you are good at the tactical and like the tactical, stay in the tactical. If you are thinking about taking it for defensive purposes, stay in your role. If you like thinking about the big picture, want to work on improving people, etc...take the job.

That's what I'm struggling with. I'm already one of the only analaysts that has a permanent spot on the change management board. That's usually something attended by managers/site directors and only has analysts in the room that are submitting changes. I was brought in because I've just got a much more broad understanding of impacts and technical implications between IT changes and the business side than about anyone else in the organization. So in a way I'd still continue doing that as it's an essential requirement that managers attend change.

And it's really the ability to further develop the support and improve how we operate that is the primary interest to me. We do okay, but there are a lot of things I think we can do better at. And it's not a discredit to my current boss, but a lot of it is technically related and the ability to understand the server/infrastructure part that many of the app side people don't know. There's just a large gap between front end app support and back end server stuff that is lost in an abyss that needs to be addressed.

That's where I'm unique, I'm one of the only app people with a heavy server/networking/infrastructure background and can pretty much talk shop with the interface peeps, network guys, server guys & and still build and support our major applications and understand business.

There's definitely opportunities there but just worried that the "people management" part you mention consumes too much of the position. I'm not overly concerned about the social role side of things. I'm very conversational and chatty with my teammates, but there's very little interaction outside of the office. Most of the guys I hang out with from my office are in an entirely different division. If anything it puts me into a unique position because another group of friends I have are essentially champions of their particular depts on the business side and gets me more in touch with the business.

The other, other issue is the home life side of things I need to consider. My wife works a ton of hours and right now I can easily put in my 40 hours and get shit done at home. No way I get that freedom and workload moving up.

 

[ViRGE]

Unfortunately if you don't take the promotion then your career is effectively at a dead end. It's quite possible they'll never offer you the job again, and there's nowhere else to promote you to.

There's no such thing as a free lunch, but there's likely be a significant downside to not taking the promotion.

 

[vi edit]

Unfortunately if you don't take the promotion then your career is effectively at a dead end. It's quite possible they'll never offer you the job again, and there's nowhere else to promote you to.

Pretty much sums it up. Only other path I really have is going the PM route, and frankly the PM positions here are a revolving door of employment. Every PM that I have known has only stayed there for a bit and then moved on to something else. Managers here (at least ones promoted from within) tend to stick around for a *very* long time. The only managers that tend to have short employment are ones that have come in from outside the organization.

 

[SunnyD]

I've moved away from heavy support roles DUE to management... does that count?

I have no regrets at all.

 

[exdeath]

But on the other hand, I'm damn good at my current job, provide a unique set of skills that are very hard to replace and would leave a huge gap to try and fill

Worst excuse ever.

Being too good at your current job is often an excuse for your boss to keep you from ever being promoted and being at a dead end for years but to hold yourself back like that? DON'T DO IT.

 

[kranky]

The family dynamic puts a different spin on things. If it's impractical for both you and visgf to be working long hours, and the new job would require long hours, then I guess that clinches it. And ViRGE brings up a good point - turning down a promotion can impact future opportunities, but this situation might be different because you haven't actually applied and they haven't actually offered it.

I have turned down an offer for a particular promotion twice over the years (same job both times) and I declined both times. I explained that I could make a bigger contribution in my then-current position and had a convincing argument to back that up. So it didn't actually hurt me and it didn't look like I wasn't willing to do more.

If you do decide to pass because of the family deal but would otherwise be interested, I would recommend talking to the your boss and explaining that you are interested but at this time, due to your wife's long working hours, you could not put in the time required for you to excel at the new job and you would like to be considered for other opportunities once (whatever has to change - she works fewer hours, whatever) happens. It would be good for them to understand you aren't averse to a bigger role but the timing is bad.

 

[PenguinPower]

That's what I'm struggling with. I'm already one of the only analaysts that has a permanent spot on the change management board. That's usually something attended by managers/site directors and only has analysts in the room that are submitting changes. I was brought in because I've just got a much more broad understanding of impacts and technical implications between IT changes and the business side than about anyone else in the organization. So in a way I'd still continue doing that as it's an essential requirement that managers attend change.

And it's really the ability to further develop the support and improve how we operate that is the primary interest to me. We do okay, but there are a lot of things I think we can do better at. And it's not a discredit to my current boss, but a lot of it is technically related and the ability to understand the server/infrastructure part that many of the app side people don't know. There's just a large gap between front end app support and back end server stuff that is lost in an abyss that needs to be addressed.

That's where I'm unique, I'm one of the only app people with a heavy server/networking/infrastructure background and can pretty much talk shop with the interface peeps, network guys, server guys & and still build and support our major applications and understand business.

There's definitely opportunities there but just worried that the "people management" part you mention consumes too much of the position. I'm not overly concerned about the social role side of things. I'm very conversational and chatty with my teammates, but there's very little interaction outside of the office. Most of the guys I hang out with from my office are in an entirely different division. If anything it puts me into a unique position because another group of friends I have are essentially champions of their particular depts on the business side and gets me more in touch with the business.

The other, other issue is the home life side of things I need to consider. My wife works a ton of hours and right now I can easily put in my 40 hours and get shit done at home. No way I get that freedom and workload moving up.

Ultimately, only you know if it is the right fit for you.

That being said, it sounds like you wouldn't enjoy it if you think that "people management" may consume too much time. As I said before, a good manager will spend 10-30% (depending on the company/role/industry) focusing on tactical issues and short term improvement. The rest of the time is dealing with the people-side of things.

And, yes, most likely it will require an increased time commitment and more stress.

 

[drum]

Unfortunately if you don't take the promotion then your career is effectively at a dead end. It's quite possible they'll never offer you the job again, and there's nowhere else to promote you to.

There's no such thing as a free lunch, but there's likely be a significant downside to not taking the promotion.

I usually cringe at this take. Don't look down on someone because they are the best at what they do and are content to do just that. It sounds here like OP is very interested in taking this leap and is wisely cautious and weighing all aspects. Since that is the case, I would lean toward making the move. However, it is not deplorable to not want to "move up" from your current position.

 

[ViRGE]

I usually cringe at this take. Don't look down on someone because they are the best at what they do and are content to do just that. It sounds here like OP is very interested in taking this leap and is wisely cautious and weighing all aspects. Since that is the case, I would lean toward making the move. However, it is not deplorable to not want to "move up" from your current position.

Oh don't get me wrong. I'm not looking down at vi. I'm just pointing out that turning down a promotion to management can have very long term consequences that need to be considered.

 

[TechAZ]

I am not in the tech industry, but I have moved on from a pure standard job role to middle management.

I do not enjoy it. In my case it was a significant bump in pay, around 17k a year. If it wasn't so much I wouldn't have taken the offer. In fact, 4 years later now, I'm actively looking to get out.


There can be a lot of stress in management. Hiring someone you thought would be good, but isn't. Firing someone who you genuinely like, but is not a good employee and manages to fuck things up all the time. Glorified babysitting with constant issues to tackle, some work related and lots that are employee related. Instead of being the guy who listens to the bitching, laughing, and having a good time, you will be the guy that is expected to fix every problem....big or petty.

It's a balance; stress VS enjoyment and pay.

 

[Oyeve]

Ive been in IT since 1987 and I have been manager, then support, then manager, then consultant. I am not Manager/Director and the problem I face is losing my tech skills. But google helps with that. For me manager/director is fine as I am in my late 40s and dont have the energy anymore.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

For me manager/director is fine as I am in my late 40s and dont have the energy anymore.

That's a great point and one often overlooked. I do enjoy the tech stuff but I'm in my early 40s and would like to get off the tech treadmill at some stage. I was a manager many years ago and would like to move back into that role.

 

[RearAdmiral]

Well I'm working on my move from technical to managerial, the idea of building up other people's knowledge, skills, and careers is pretty darn exciting.

I care about the big vision and about building awesome workers/teams. The amount of skills required in managing/leading is long and they require a lot of work like gaining technical skills.

I would absolutely do the move if I were you. Get a nerd job elsewhere if it doesn't work out for you. Your technical skills won't vanish in case the job is not for you.

 

[dank69]

Take promotion.
Hire hot girl to do your old job.
Do your old job in exchange for sexual favors.

 

[vi edit]

That's a great point and one often overlooked. I do enjoy the tech stuff but I'm in my early 40s and would like to get off the tech treadmill at some stage. I was a manager many years ago and would like to move back into that role.

I'm 35 and would be one of the youngest managers in this division. There are others that would have been around my age when they assumed their roles, so it's not necessarily uncommon. I actually enjoy support, am very good at it, but have been doing it for long time. I was supporting hospital batch processing and mainframe systems as essentially a full time job since my 2nd year of of college. It feels like it's the next step to take.

To answer an earlier question, no this isn't a direct appointment/promotion. It would be an official opening and interviewed for. I just know that given my relationship with the soon to be director over the position, my identity within the organization and some other things that are important to the position that once I throw my name in the cap it's going to be something I need to be prepared for.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I'm 35 and would be one of the youngest managers in this division. There are others that would have been around my age when they assumed their roles, so it's not necessarily uncommon. I actually enjoy support, am very good at it, but have been doing it for long time. I was supporting hospital batch processing and mainframe systems as essentially a full time job since my 2nd year of of college. It feels like it's the next step to take.

I was 29 when I got my management job and unfortunately, I don't think I appreciated enough while I had it. Unfortunately for me, a merger and consolidation resulted in me going back into the technical ranks or who knows -- maybe I'd still be a manager.

I honestly don't mind working with servers and infrastructure -- it is a hobby of mine. Right now though, I am in a full-time Sharepoint role and I'm tired of it and have no help. I'm looking for a job elsewhere and my only hope is to jump over as a technical resource and then hopefully move into management down the line.

I'd say that you should do what you enjoy the most. Don't let people convince you that you must "move up" in your career for it to be considered successful. Let's be honest -- managers are much easier to replace than skilled technical people.

 

[vi edit]

My current role is fairly abstract and I'm more of a large scale problem solver than straight up support monkey. Take Wednesday for example. Get drug into an office with the interface people. Turns out that a biomed group at a facility put in a new vitals server and remapped some rooms to the new box. As far they knew they just needed an IP for the new box. BZZZZZZT! Wrong. I spent half my day working with Biomed, the application team who owns another system that needs to build a room census in there that gets vitals, the vendor of another system who wanted a $5400 connection license and another business entity that gets vitals data and completely assess the impact of the whole thing.

Then after the dust settled on that I spent the rest of the day trying to rewrite an SLA & communication agreement on how to appropriately plan system installs that are owned by biomed and how to hook that into our enterprise change managment.

Rest of my week has been similar with issues that normally span over 2 or 3 different application groups, usually some sort of infrastructure group and then one or more departments on the business side that are impacted. I'm kind of a BSA/PM/Support monkey/connect the dots/get shit done role all bundled into one. I have days I look back and go "HOLY CRAP how did I pull that off?". I don't sit down and do a fairly specific/narrow function like many other people in my organization.

 

[BoberFett]

As you may or may not remember vi, I used to be a developer. Sometime I miss writing code, I don't get to do it very often at work. Every now and then I jump in and help track a bug or optimize some SQL if one of my reports needs a second set of eyes. But I spend the vast majority of my time managing and very little deep in the technical weeds.

I love it though. I'm a big picture guy. I like being a part of making the IT dept work for the organization, and knowing how it fits into the vision of the company. If I want to code, I can always work on side projects on my own, but at work I'm very happy to be in management.

 

[Agent11]

Take the promotion.