In Issue 2, 2022, a reader asked: "Many engineers move to managerial roles later in their careers. Is this a positive move and, if it’s one you have made, what advice do you have?"
"It is one I’ve made and I think it is a positive move as long as you have the backing of senior management to move to an area that will keep you interested. As an engineer, remaining as technical as possible was important to me, and I have been lucky enough to have a leadership team that recognises that along with having opportunities to keep on growing in technical ability I also need to undertake management training. You must feel confident in your own qualities and abilities to lead before stepping up and leading change."
Stuart Vass
"It is always a personal decision but I have found it a positive move. The key is to find a role that motivates you and provides fresh challenges."
Paul Harris
"Management is different; it is a much broader brief. Above all, learn the crucial importance of money in a business as soon as possible."
David Odling
"I would consider that an engineer moving to a managerial position is agreeable, either in engineering or non-engineering management, though proper preparation should be made as with any career move, and be equipped with the necessary outlook and skill set for the new position."
Richard Fung
"Moving into a managerial role can be a natural progression but is not the only option. If you do move into management don’t lose touch with engineering."
Iain Knight
"In my experience the biggest change in the nature of the work I have done in my career was the first step from being in a purely technical role to supervising a small team. This is the point at which you stop being focused on your own individual technical task and start having to coordinate and take on responsibility for work being done by others. Whilst being challenging, I enjoyed this move and subsequent more senior technical management positions because it enabled me to be involved in technical decision-making across a much wider scope of work than when working in a non-supervisory role. I was perhaps fortunate that all of my management roles retained a significant element of technical responsibility. If you have trained and qualified as an engineer, I think this technical responsibility is an important thing to look for as you move into management, as leaving the technical remit behind entirely and becoming solely, for example, a programme or financial manager may not prove to be satisfying if in your heart you really want to be an engineer."
Keith Thomas
"It is a positive move because it broadens one’s working experience, especially if your employer and industry are adapted to it. I was given the opportunity in my early thirties and would have jumped at it as I could then have returned to engineering after one ‘managerial’ position. I did not make the move because I was on the point of applying for membership of the IMechE and it would have prevented that application succeeding."
Paul Russenberger
"It will remain a positive move for the individual for as long as managers are valued more than senior engineers."
Tom Heath
"Just make sure you understand that it is a different job role and that if it is the hands-on engineering that you enjoy the move to management may remove that element from your job."
Alison Owen
"Don’t. If you love being an engineer, stick at being one. As a manager, your time will be ebbed away until you have no time to spend on what you trained for/chose as a career."
Emma D
"Leadership and management are an integral part of an engineering career whether it be complex projects or leading teams of others to achieve the desired outcomes. Whether you’re still ‘doing the do’ or managing, my advice is: be yourself, give the team the credit they deserve and take the pressure off them to allow them to focus on safe quality delivery."
Nicola Johnson
"Undoubtedly positive. It is vital that those capable of making the move into senior management do so in order to keep a strong check on the ‘accountant invasion’ of the top jobs in industry!"
Matthew Waterhouse
"I did move into a managerial role, but this was back in the 1980s when there was less training and support for managers. My advice would be to recognise that you are there to manage, not to do the technical stuff. The people who do the technical stuff are the ones you manage. Your technical knowledge helps you to understand what they are doing, not to enable you to do it for them. As you move up the management ladder you will become less involved technically but your technical knowledge helps you to understand what those who you manage are telling you and what support they need to do their jobs. If managing people does not appeal to you then stick with a technical role and if the opportunity arises move into different technical roles to broaden your experience and knowledge."
Richard Bossom
"It depends on the individual. Some engineers make excellent managers, others less so. Also bear in mind that managing a team of engineers is quite different to managing a production line or other endeavour. This suits some individuals and they make the transition with no problem. I made the change because it was the way to promotion and better remuneration. I regret it now and have been happier since moving back to an engineering role in consultancy. My advice would be to understand what the change means, take it on a provisional six-month basis to try it out and make sure you can go back if it is not to your taste."
Russell Birnie
"The move from engineering to managing happened to me some years ago in a large company. I suddenly realised that I missed the engineering! There was a choice at that point, either surrender any yearning for doing the engineering and commit fully to managing the engineering or find another route. I went for the latter and took roles managing in small businesses, where it is possible to do both. And then a step further is to work as an independent engineering consultant, where it’s all engineering and actually the financial rewards are greater. That last move is not for the risk averse, though!"
Michael Reid
"It can be a good move for people with the right personality or skills. It helps train and guide new starters and sees engineering influence in management structures. Start off by managing small projects to give it a try if not sure it’s the right route for yourself."
John Green
"If as an individual you want to move into such a role that is positive, as you will embrace what it involves and will tend to be successful. If the need to progress in your organisation requires you to move into a management role, this is not as positive. I worked for a large organisation that tended to pigeonhole people, and it was very difficult to convince others that you had the transferable skills, because most of their managers were from HR or accounting backgrounds. That was a culture that was embedded, and made it difficult to grow and benefit the organisation."
Neil Henderson
"A mixed blessing! You are moving from an environment of co-operative problem solving to one where bonuses depend on meeting criteria that may seem arbitrary, or political. Make sure you know what you, and others, are being judged on. Others may try to offset their shortcomings on to you if the system allows. Don’t assume that willingness to co-operate in solving an organisational problem will be appreciated, if it enables someone else to look good at your expense. Be politically aware!"
Gib FitzGibbon
"It might be positive if you enjoy coaching, delegating, inspiring, and more. My career went the other way round: I started in management roles (up to 40 direct reports) and learned a lot by doing that, but found much more enjoyment (and pay) later in project management and consultancy where I was doing front-end design which I enjoyed and then achieving results through others without the bits of people management that I didn’t enjoy."
Tim
Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? The Professional Engineering newsletter gives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, click here.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.