maverick233 in
Software Engineering Manager
Engineering Management going back to IC role?
Been in management for web/mobile dev for some time. After layoffs, I'm looking to go back to an IC dev or lead role for a bit. I did enjoy helping people as a manager but I really miss building things and getting to focus on solving cool problems and helping others work through technical issues. I'm also worried my tech skills are rusty.
Has anyone else made this transition recently?
What helped? What concerns or challenges did you have to overcome going back to an IC role?
How did technical interviews go?
How did you address questions about why you didn't want to manage people anymore?
What difference in comp did you accept, if any?

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JamesCoSoftware Engineer
I had made that transition a few years ago and haven't looked back. I honestly didn't have too much issue with the transition or the interviews, I was transparent in why I wanted to go back to IC over people management, but made sure to avoid saying why I didn't like management and instead focused on why I liked IC work more. It's a fairly common transition to go back once you learn more about the people management side of things, so I don't think you'll have too much issue justifying it.
I think the biggest thing that companies really honed in on was my ability to become an IC again and not overstep into management duties, which was not an issue for me but can be for some people.
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