I've always had trouble with abstract concepts. Mathematics was especially challenging for me, except when I could understand the problem in real-world concrete terms. When I decided on computer science as a career, it was something I understood, and understood well. So, it really was a no-brainer for me to work in this industry. Unfortunately, after two decades working as a developer I find myself stuck in the role of a senior architect. More than that, phrases like “too senior for this position” are starting to show up with disturbing regularity whenever I consider changing jobs.
Therefore I had decided to switch not only my job but also my career path, from software development over to business management. I'm not entirely comfortable with the switch mostly because like math, I don't completely get it. Don't get me wrong, I've seen enough businesses to know what makes them tick. If nothing else, my recent application to business school made me realise just how ready I am for the switch.
So why am I so unsettled with this decision?
I suspect it has partly to do with my motivation for the switch. Which computer sciences, I knew what I was getting myself into–solving complex problems, which gave me a warm glow. With businesses… my only motivation appears to be strictly monetary. In fact, I know very few business managers who take great joy at what they do at work, unless if they are the owners of the business itself. I don't have the courage to own my own business nor do I expect to ever do so in this lifetime. So why make the switch what do I have to look forward to? The honest answer is… I don't know. More money, which enables me to do other fun things. But what does this mean for the better part of my day? I spend the majority of my life at work, eight hours a day, five days a week, 12 months in the year. If I don't love what I'm doing, what kind of life could that be?
So what are the alternatives? I can stay where I am and continue developing software until they kick me out, which will be very soon because I simply cannot keep up in terms of competitiveness with the younger folk. They know far less than I do, true. However, they are also paid far less than I do. Companies nowadays are more worried about the bottom line and so they hire the younger, cheaper workers. I have seen so many of my friends get drummed out of the industry this way. I fear that this shall be my fate too. I think I'm a pretty good developer and a great architect. I don't say that with pride; I've earned that by dint of hard work over many decades. But money seems to trump everything out there in the business world. Perhaps it is wiser to pick a career where joy and satisfaction are to be found outside of working hours.
It doesn't matter, really. I've already decided to go to business school and to pursue a career in management. I hope they're making the right choice, and that I will still be able to look myself in the mirror in the morning afterwards.
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Full disclosure: I have no intention of giving up programming for management. That being said, if you think that business management is not a matter of solving complex problems, then you're either at the wrong level, or not doing it right. If programming consisted of someone giving you some very specific parameters and said "here, code this" - it wouldn't be a heck of a lot of fun. And certainly not that complex. The best managers that I have had are great at getting and retaining the best engineers. The business management books I have read say that the key is to find and retain the best people. Shipping software and making a business unit's goals can both be either simple and mundane, or very complex. It depends on the job. And often what you make of it. But I'm still never going to be a manager :-)
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