Can you get to heavy on one side?

N2IT

Like many other my objective is to be a well rounded IT professional with a management / business strategy lean. However I find myself getting more and more distance from the technology aspect.

I'm not sure if I should fight this or let the natural progression occur.

I know I am not the first one to come across this. I've been told different philosophies regarding this topic. Once I heard you always want to keep one foot in IT and one foot in business to keep yourself from being pigeon holed. I've also had another mentor who said that is the way it goes and if you know how to manage you will leverage the technical resources around you.

I think they both have valid points. Thoughts?

discount81

The best managers I have come across are the ones who still kept right up to date with Technology, they relied on the people of more knowledge to help guide their decisions but still had not lost touch with what was going on.

SteveLord

Just sat in on a speech from a former state CIO....who is now a consultant working for Gartner. Admitted to being a non-technical guy since the 90s. In the military, some say its better if officers serve as enlisted first. Yet some say it's better than they are not exposed to the enlisted world.

I personally do not see a problem straying away from technical things. As long as you keep strong resources (people) close by that you can trust.

dave330i

Not enough time to know everything. Focus on management and rely on SME for the nuts & bolts.

YFZblu

^ Agree. If there is something technical that you need info on, well, that is what your Technical Leads are for

networker050184

Agree with dave330i as well. Management is a full time job on its own and so is the technical part. Don't let yourself lose touch completely, but you'll probably be sticking to high level overviews of technology rather than the nitty gritty.

KenC

I think you are at the point where you need to decide if you want to make the transition to management and drop your tech roots (your employer usually decides this is where they want you to be before you do, so it is tough).

You can't (and should not, imo) be both, and the best managers manage people, so try and focus on that. If on the other hand, you know that this is not a path you really want to head down, then make that decision sooner rather than later, and do what you need to do to keep on the technical side. If you don't decide, your employer will.

tpatt100

There are books out now for technical managers that help them stay somewhat knowledgeable on the bigger topics. I think having a high level understanding is important.

QHalo

I agree with keeping a high level understanding of technology, and a bit deeper of the technologies you're currently using. It's tough enough as a technical person to keep up with all the changes. I can't imagine doing that and being 'political' at the same time.

N2IT

Thanks for the replies.

Some positions even for business analyst, project management, even operational management have said it was perferrable to have an MCSA or some other technicial certifications. This hasn't been as one off as you may think. That's why I brought this up.

Currently I am working on my MBA and PMP. I don't want to chase paper, but it really seems my resume could use a real high level certification like the MCSA or something around Win 7. All my tech certs are CompTIA not exactly sought after.

paul78

That's kinda a tough one. I think there is no right or wrong way as a manager. You gonna be you. And do what appeals to your own sense of bringing value to your employer. I come across IT managers whose core strength fall into several categories; people/org managers, strategic thinkers, process managers, operations administrators, tech architects - or some combination thereof.

Good managers are leaders - actually that is true of any very senior contributor- whether they manage one person or a thousand.

I think it will be counterproductive to try to focus on one area versus another. Just focus on what you enjoy which will likely be your core strength.