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  • The corporate hierarchy is an interesting structure and I've failed to understand it. The typical growth of an engineer within an organization follows this path-

    Intern / Fresh Grad -> Engineer Trainee -> Member of the technical staff -> Module Lead -> Team Lead (Management role begins here) -> Project Lead (less technical, more managerial) -> Project Manager (mostly managerial) -> Domain / Business Lead (purely managerial) and so on.

    The point is - you all will ultimately become 'managers' where you'll be dealing mostly with PPTs, Excel & Emails more than your compilers, instruments, wires, software tools et al. You will no longer be programming in Java and thinking how to make your code more efficient; but wondering what words to type in email to keep the client happy & satisfied. It's happened to many of my friends and I'm sure, most of you!

    This may be a good news for those of you who aspire to get into management role as you advance in your career. However, there is a growing number of engineers who really want to stick to their 'roots' and want to continue contributing to technology, writing actual code in Java, Python and ASP than worry about 'people management'.

    I see a few corporates have introduced two growth tracks for their employees - managerial & technical. However, it's far from being perfect (IMHO). If you want to 'grow' within an organization or advance in your career; you will ultimately have to become a manager. Else you'll have to be content with your role as an engineer and become a technical architect (which seems to be the top post in the technical field). But it's more of a 'consultant' type role than actual, hard-core engineering.

    Is there a way out? Have you thought of this for your own career?
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  • Abhishek Rawal

    Member • Nov 18, 2013

    If what you mentioned is true, then only way out I find is, being a 'Job-hopper'.
    Work in a company, after some promotions; if you find more of managerial/consulting type of job & less of technical - grab another job! and start from scratch, again. Repeat until your hair becomes grey.

    On side note : I know, people do say that getting a job is 'tough', but from what I've researched there are certain domains in Engineering where demand is more than supply.
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  • Saandeep Sreerambatla

    Member • Nov 18, 2013

    I agree with you that in India companies , the growth is as you told above.

    Even, If I want to stick to my basics, the comparison will come to me and people do nothing and earn more kind of things happen here and there.

    But these days things are changing especially where i am working, if you are interested to be into technical itself, then there are ways. You can be a manager and have efficient leads and take a part of work and do the coding stuff.

    It again all depends on how well you give your time and give company the output.
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  • micheal john

    Member • Nov 18, 2013

    Abhishek Rawal
    On side note : I know, people do say that getting a job is 'tough', but from what I've researched there are certain domains in Engineering where demand is more than supply.
    can you tell us in which domains in Engineering, demand is more than supply?
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  • Abhishek Rawal

    Member • Nov 18, 2013

    micheal john
    can you tell us in which domains in Engineering, demand is more than supply?
    Oh! you're Computer Science student, so start chasing 'Penguins' 👍
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  • micheal john

    Member • Nov 19, 2013

    Abhishek Rawal
    Oh! you're Computer Science student, so start chasing 'Penguins' 👍

    sorry did not get you?
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  • Ramani Aswath

    Member • Nov 19, 2013

    Kaustubh Katdare
    Else you'll have to be content with your role as an engineer and become a technical architect (which seems to be the top post in the technical field). But it's more of a 'consultant' type role than actual, hard-core engineering.
    Is there a way out? Have you thought of this for your own career?
    Unfortunate, but true. However, there is a (difficult) way out. Do not opt for climbing the ladder. I am nearing the end (hope it is some distance away) of my career. Even when I was actually an R&D manager, I had given strict instructions that I will attend to routine work only for a restricted time during working hours (usually half an hour at the official desk). The rest of the time it was hands on work. I still do this even though much of the work is design and conceptualizing. I allot very little time to 'managing'.

    However, this case is atypical. I was never in a corporate or other ladder.
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  • ABCD ABCD

    Member • Nov 19, 2013

    Ultimately, each one whether is an engineer or not is a manager in one way or other. Only the 1st stage employees are those who wont supervise anyone. Each employee at next level keeps managing the people below him, who is at a stage below him.

    So, Trainee is the only choice for those who don't want to be a manager. Keep changing jobs and keep starting from the beginning.
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  • Anoop Kumar

    Member • Nov 19, 2013

    For service based this is 100% true and if you don't want to be manager then you will forced to be.
    But what if I tell you there are some guys who have 10 - 15 years of experience and still coding holding only Senior Software Engineer position. Probably it's organization policy which is allowing people to do the best what they are up to.

    Service based companies should think about throwing technical guys into project selling and creating .ppt file.
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  • avii

    Member • Nov 22, 2013

    micheal john
    sorry did not get you?
    <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tux" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Tux</a>
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