What Now? Navigating the Transition from Engineer to Manager

In the early days of my career I never thought beyond the next job, the next pay increase, the next promotion. That is until I made the shift fully into security. Frustrated at the lack of impact I was able to have at an organizational level as an engineer, I made the decision to push for a shift into management without fully understanding what that shift would entail. When the time came I was woefully unprepared.

My situation is not unique and I don’t claim to have a magic solution that will work for every engineer who tries to make the same career move that I did. My goal is to point out some of the things that made my transition harder than it needed to be so that others don’t make the same mistakes.

1. You’re not an island (or if you are, what can you do to make things easier?)

2. “I’ll definitely still have plenty of time for engineering work.”

3. Your team are not your peers anymore.

4. Learn to think strategically rather than tactically.

5. Don’t neglect your mental health.