This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Agile Buzz by Laurent Bossavit. Original Post: Career advice to a young graduate engineer Feed Title: Incipient(thoughts) Feed URL: http://bossavit.com/thoughts/index.rdf Feed Description: You're in a maze of twisty little decisions, all alike. You're in a maze of twisty little decisions, all different. Latest Agile Buzz Posts Latest Agile Buzz Posts by Laurent Bossavit Latest Posts From Incipient(thoughts)

There's a tragedy going on in our industry; at least in my country, where I was deeply saddened by a recent post to the newsgroup fr.comp.developpement.

This was a post by a recent graduate of a prestigious engineering school, asking if he "really needed to have development experience before moving on to project management". It seems that the only job offers this person is finding are for analyst or engineer positions, and he's concerned that he will "waste [his] time mucking around with code for a year or more" before moving on to a position "more in line with [his] true skill and ambitions". That graduates at Master's level or graduates of "lesser" engineering schools should be required to prove their mettle is understandable, he added, but he felt it was "a waste" in regard to his own education.

I'm not qualified to comment on the educational systems of other countries, but this kind of declaration confirms what I've learned from personal observation: so many people who train in engineering come out of school not wanting to be engineers, but managers of engineers. I've lost count of how often I've heard "I don't plan to stay in development, I'm really interested in being a project manager". I don't know what's going on in the schools here, but I can only call it a tragedy that so many people are misled in their career choices.

I had the following advice to give to this tragically misled young graduate:

What is it about project management that attracts you ? Of the various activities that you have experienced in the course of your education, what are those which leave you tired but happy and proud of what you've accomplished, and what are those which leave you bored, or frustrated, or angry, or depressed ?

Discover the work-related activities that you derive value from, and strive to have your responsibilities in areas related to these activities. Request from your management that you be assigned to functions which match these choices; to discover those, look around you and spot the people whose job requires that they perform the kind of activity you prefer. You might well not end up in a position called "Project Manager", but I guarantee that you will be satisfied with your career choices.

Do not forget that, over time, these preferences will change. I know many people (myself included) who started out happiest when they were solving thorny technical problems, and now enjoy a lot more helping others solve thorny technical problems. Developer to project manager is but one of the many paths along which such a change might happen, and it is but one of the changes that a person may undergo. Review your work preferences periodically, and adjust your career choices in consequence.

Also, be aware that characterizing software development as a "waste of time" and "mucking around with code", in a public forum read by many software professionals local to your country... may not be the smartest career move you will ever make.