Why your path to engineering management doesn’t have to be traditional

There’s a misconception in the tech industry that you should follow a traditional path to become an engineering manager.

The story goes that developers progress up the IC ladder to the point where they have to decide whether to move into engineering management or keep pursuing deeper technical skills in order to become a senior or staff engineer.

But for me, the path to management didn’t follow this traditional straight line. In fact, when I was a developer, I decided to leave the realm of engineering. A big reason for leaving was that I felt I just couldn’t compare to the skill level of my peers.

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