“To manage or to tech – that is the question.” There are pluses and minuses on each side and it is another one of those big career issues that many of us struggle with. On the one hand, technical skills *typically* (with many exceptions), stay more “hirable” from a contract perspective. And often, the more highly technical people experience challenges converting to the more HR-related aspects of personnel management. (Again many exceptions.) If your CV/resume contains the right collection of acronyms for a particular opportunity, you at least have a shot at a wider opportunity pool than with personnel management roles.

On the other hand, managerial opportunities can often be more stable and/or lead to other higher-level opportunities with the organization, less travel, etc. Unfortunately, as you have so well identified, making a conscious decision to move into management will move directly away from tech – farther and farther. Two or three years spent in management can substantially dull the technical edge for many people and getting “back in the game” technically can be a challenge down the road if you change your mind. Today’s pace of technology moves way too quickly to stay away more than a year or two at the most and still be able to return and maintain effectiveness.

Two quick suggestions based on my experience:

1)Does it fit with your life goals? Is the opportunity itself a vehicle to get you where you want to go, irrespective of the daily duties associated with it?

2)If you try it out and it doesn’t fit in a few months, you can always look for something else or pick up a technical contract — even a part-time one — to keep your hand in or go back to tech entirely. In today’s market, flexibility and transience rule the day in many organizations, so there is probably very little downside to giving the opportunity a go for at least six months.

Management has its own challenges and puzzles to solve, just as with technical and can be equally or even more rewarding. Managing can be a very high form of stewardship and develop leadership, plus the opportunity to make a very positive and direct impact in the lives of those you manage. It has its own reward system that can be much more human if you will, then the standard technical contract.

Just my .02 denarii. You’ll find the best way in the end and if it doesn’t work out, there is always another technical contract around the corner.

Anyone else have experience to share? Please thread on to this comment.

All the Best, of Identity Management Success
-Corbin