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The problem is, very few people are going to have a skill that can't easily be replaced. And, even if we develop such a skill, we are expected to teach it to younger, lower paid employees.
He also mentioned one of the reasons why the early retirement crowd is chock full of engineers / computer programmers is because most of them don't like management type jobs (and they seem to be good at saving money compared to people from other professions):
This is something that seriously worries me. I am not management material. I really am worried about what career options I have available to me once I get to the point where management is expected of me. Unfortunately, as others said, employers only want very young employees in technical roles. Even if I was willing to take a pay cut down to their salary, such an option would not be made available to me.
I'm kind of in the same boat, currently stuck in a less technical path of engineering due to not knowing what I wanted in my early 20s. I've been trying to switch to something more technical, but it seems I've missed the boat as only recent college grads get the chance at entry level to build experience in those roles. From what I've observed at various companies, managers fall into one or more of the following:
1. Stuck in meetings all day
2. Constantly responding to emails
3. Babysitting full grown adults (this is typically more of a production supervisor thing)
4. Generally just talking about things to do instead of doing them
This is nothing against managers, but none of the above is all that appealing to me. As another poster mentioned, companies love these layers of delegating/managing unfortunately, instead of DOING. They really only want to push you to either stay in your current path or go into management. For a lot of us engineers, these companies are basically expecting fish to climb trees.
I'm kind of in the same boat, currently stuck in a less technical path of engineering due to not knowing what I wanted in my early 20s. I've been trying to switch to something more technical, but it seems I've missed the boat as only recent college grads get the chance at entry level to build experience in those roles. From what I've observed at various companies, managers fall into one or more of the following:
1. Stuck in meetings all day
2. Constantly responding to emails
3. Babysitting full grown adults (this is typically more of a production supervisor thing)
4. Generally just talking about things to do instead of doing them
This is nothing against managers, but none of the above is all that appealing to me. As another poster mentioned, companies love these layers of delegating/managing unfortunately, instead of DOING. They really only want to push you to either stay in your current path or go into management. For a lot of us engineers, these companies are basically expecting fish to climb trees.
That is a good way of describing it. Not sure what career options there are for people like us who aren't management material, but aren't able to retire young for whatever reason.
He also mentioned one of the reasons why the early retirement crowd is chock full of engineers / computer programmers is because most of them don't like management type jobs (and they seem to be good at saving money compared to people from other professions):
A problem is that unless you’re moving up into one of the countless of unneeded layers of management roles, what else is there to move up to. The more “senior technical roles” will be the first to get hit with the layoffs because of how companies see it as an “expense” and they will just cut the experience non management position and a month later refill it under a different job title but the same function except fill it with some younger cheaper employee. Companies are laying off from the ground up these days. Not vice verse. Can’t tell you how many productive employees in positions I’ve seen laid off due to downsizing and no one touched one of the gazillion countless layers of unneeded management. It’s all arm chair chief quarterbacks and no Indians today
In most places it’s either “management or bust” now
What advice do people have for people like myself who are not management material, and who are unable to retire early? I suspect most of the people who plan to retire early are single or at least have no kids.
What advice do people have for people like myself who are not management material, and who are unable to retire early? I suspect most of the people who plan to retire early are single or at least have no kids.
If you stick with the same company, and tell them you are happy in your current role, then 90% of companies will be glad to keep you in that role if it's a non-management role.
That's a win for them. They get somebody who is mature, has experience and doesn't want to move up and make more $.
Nope. I specifically avoid anything management-related. I'm not good at it. I don't want to herd cats. I just want to work on technical issues.
LOL the bolded sentence is exactly how I feel about it! I especially hate it when I get roped into something that involves me herding "cats" in other departments, since they need to just manage their own damn part of things.
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