From IC to EM: A guide to stepping into the weird, wild world of management

So you’re thinking about becoming an engineering manager, eh? Awesome, let’s go!

I considered this exact same decision about a year ago, and ultimately ended up taking the leap. I’ll walk you through how I made the call to switch to being an EM after many years as an IC, how it started (what I thought I knew), how it’s going (all the things I didn’t know), and the not-so-obvious differences between being an IC and an EM. Basically, I’m here to give you a real world, very fresh perspective on what the transition has been like.

Ultimately, I hope this talk will help you make a decision on what’s right *for you*, and if you do decide to head down the EM path, how to get started.

Transcript

1. @dankim | dan@dankim.com From IC to EM A guide to stepping into the weird, wild world of management
2. 👋 About you
3. 😱 About me
4. 👴 22 years in tech
5. 🤖 -> 👨💼 Most recently
6. ❓ Why?
7. ❓ Why? No, seriously Dan, why?!
8. 🙃 It’s not a simple answer
9. 👩🏫 Being the change you want to see
10. 🧑🤝🧑 Impact through people
11. 😰 New challenges
12. 😰 Scary new challenges
13. 🤿 I dove into the deep end
14. 🛌 What does an EM do?
15. ☝👇👈👉 It depends on the company
16. 💆 Team and individual health
17. 📈 Career, growth, and performance
18. 🗺 Strategy and execution
19. 🔄 Retro
20. 🫣 What’s been challenging?
21. 🧽 You’re the sponge
22. 🏋 Maintaining a healthy team is hard
23. 😵💫 There is no management StackOverflow
24. 🐢 Slow, uncertain results
25. 🤠 What’s gone well?
26. 🤗 It’s immensely rewarding
27. 🏃 Rarely static, very dynamic
28. 💥 Broader exposure and impact
29. 🤝 Peer EM support
30. ❔ Questions to ask yourself
31. ☎ Help you make an informed call
32. 🏃 Why am I looking for a change?
33. 🤔 Is now the right time?
34. 🤗 What do I enjoy?
35. 😶🌫 Am I willing to give up coding?
36. 🫡 Still interested?
37. ✅ How to get started
38. 👀 Ask for EM-type work
39. 📓 Build your management storybook
40. 🕰 Your recent experience is an advantage!
41. 🤔 Read management books
42. 📚 Radical Candor by Kim Scott
43. 📚 Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo
44. 🤚 Ask for help and feedback
45. 🫶 Be kind to yourself
46. 🤣 Email me
47. 🎀 A few final words
48. 🙇 Thank you