Technical Vs Managerial

Replies

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  Kaustubh Katdare

  Thread moved to Jobs and Careers section.
  
  The source of article is important and it's even more important when you're making decisions based on it. I think I'll request #-Link-Snipped-# to answer this question for you. In his career spanning several decades, he's been into several technical , managerial and leadership roles.
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  Ankita Katdare

  #-Link-Snipped-# That is a good question. Engineers sometimes run after higher posts up the ladder without thinking what they really want and what they are capable of.
  I can understand the will to climb up the corporate ladder is in every employee's mind when he/she joins a company. But, some roles are just cut out for certain kind of people while others can multi-task.
  
  In which roles do you see yourself? Are you interested in managing things, leading teams? Or you love doing 'ONLY' hard-core technical stuff? Asking these questions to oneself will fetch you answers.
  
  I am tagging #-Link-Snipped-# here, because I feel he has made some decisions related to this.
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  Ramani Aswath

  K gives me too much credit.
  Did you become an engineer by your choice or because of parent/peer pressure? Did you enjoy the learning process and working actively on technical problems? How do you define a successful career? Is financial advancement an important issue? Incidentally, there is absolutely nothing wrong in that.
  Is manufacturing, design or R&D your preference?
  Let me tell one thing which is very important but not looked at by many. We spend more than 50% of waking hours at work. We must have job satisfaction. We must love what we do, whatever the activity. Otherwise you are just asking for trouble a few years down the line with stress related health problems.
  A technical manager must have a strong hands-on feel for the technical aspects of the job. Even if you want to get into management, it will be worthwhile to gets hands on engineering experience for two or three years in general mechanical engineering at a good place even if the pay is not high.
  You should also keep abreast of developments elsewhere even after becoming a tech manager. Occasional getting hands dirty is not bad either at any stage in your career.
  Almost all (not necessarily monetarily) successful technical managers that I have known loved to get grease on their hands all through their career.
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  gowthamanbu

  #-Link-Snipped-# Till now I prefer being a "technical" engineer sir and I love those greases in my hands. But my brother said that in a technical ladder after some higher posts,it joins the management ladder sir. Now i want to know the posts ladder of both management and technical ladder sir.
  
  #-Link-Snipped-# I love doing technical stuff mam.
  
  In what ways technical is better than management? And In what ways management is better than technical?
  #-Link-Snipped-# sorry to ask that again and again sir but i need some clear visualization for my career. Thats why am asking so sir.
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  Ramani Aswath

  A few less 'sir's may make for easier reading.
  I have a nephew who is in the US now. After a few years of high tension 'managed' life where he had to work his backside off at the behest of his manager, he took time off (not to mention a hefty packet of money) to do an MBA in the US itself. He told me that he did not want to be in the rat race any more but chase the rats. After a few years of this, he has now started on his own, since he did not want to work for a boss. It is a different matter that he is working harder than before, but to his own liking.
  If you want to do R&D, CSIR or DST have a few engineering labs where good work is being done. The pay is good and very secure. You can be in one place for your whole career if that is what you want.
  However, the danger is that it is easy to slip into a non working paper generating routine. You will still get promotions every few years and have a 'successful' but totally wasted career. However, the projects do get good funding and quite exciting for a person willing to put his hand to the plough.
  
  If you are in the manufacturing industry, you can come up quite a bit (say, Chief Manufacturing Officer reaching a salary level of about 100 lakhs a year) by the time you are about 50 years without doing a formal management course. You can also have an active technical life.
  The other option is to get some kind of MBA, start as a management trainee in manufacturing, maintenance, service or marketing/sales and go up. The last three may not give much intellectual satisfaction of doing engineering.
  
  You can also do your own thing of starting a business of your own. It can be an ancillary of another bigger industry or an independent activity. There are always risks.
  
  You can keep asking whatever you want. No one here minds. If anything, CEans will lean over backwards to help a genuine person.
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  gowthamanbu

  #-Link-Snipped-# your last verse cheering me up sir .
  
  But one of my friend said that in technical career we have to do what others did and we will be chasing that already did ideas through out the career. At only few occasions a technical careered engineer can bring up some new ideas. But in management career whatever we do will be a new decision and new ideas. So we can be happy with our work and thus we'll have no stress at all while in technical you must be updated with the new technologies so it will increase our stress. Is that right what is spoke?
  (At that time I was not clear with what he was speaking).
  
  Help me out..
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  Kaustubh Katdare

  #-Link-Snipped-# : You are an inspiration to each one of us here, sir 😀
  
  #-Link-Snipped-# - There are misconceptions about 'management' and 'technical' tracks. The best thing to do for an engineer is to start career in a technical position. Unless you gain some corporate experience and understand how things work. Two years in corporate world should give you a fair idea of management and technical tracks that you're worried about. At least, I figured that out about IT companies during my initial years as a software engineer.
  
  'Stress' - that's going to be a part and parcel of your professional life. You can minimize it by being organized but don't be under illusion that management is about stress free life.
  
  In my opinion, it's too early to really worry about management and technical tracks for your career. Start in technical position and experience the things on your own before deciding on anything.
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  gowthamanbu

  #-Link-Snipped-# Got tat precisely !! may i know the posts in a technical career sir??
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  Kaustubh Katdare

  gowthamanbu

  #-Link-Snipped-# Got tat precisely !! may i know the posts in a technical career sir??

  Posts in technical career - well typically you'll start as an intern or a junior engineer in any organization with basic responsibilities of executing the tasks allotted to your by your seniors or supervisors. It could be a direct implementation of the theories / practical knowledge you've learned.
  
  
  The next level would be of a team leader who will not only take care of the technical aspects of your projects but also train / educate / collaborate with the juniors. You'd be put into a role with a mix of major technical capabilities and few managerial capabilities.
  
  Then you might become a project lead with about equal importance to technical and managerial responsibilities.
  
  The next roles may vary depending upon your organization.
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  Ramani Aswath

  To add to the above:
  If you are joining as an apprentice trainee in a manufacturing industry, you may be asked to work on the shop floor understanding the manufacturing activity. This may involve understudying 'old hands' on machines and processes. Some of these will take it out on the inexperienced newbie, as they know that you will be the boss afterwards.
  Once the initiation is over you may be put in charge of an activity. Depending on how you shape up, you will be given increasing responsibilities. In many smallish industries, you may well be the only engineer of your kind. Usually, the current person may be retiring. This is a little more difficult as such a person will try to mould you to his way.
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  gowthamanbu

  #-Link-Snipped-# and #-Link-Snipped-# Am much happy now. I got the visualization now of my career somehow. Thanks a bunch 😀 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍