Career path for a current DevOps team leader

AnnoMachina01 · 2019-09-12T12:14:11+00:00

You can try to be a better tech, but if your heart isn't in it, you'll only ever be a second rate tech. But don't let that prevent you from becoming a first rate leader if that's where your skill set is. Play to your strengths and surround yourself with good technical mentors on your team who can build your base.

I've seen and worked for several IT leads who were second and third rate engineers. I myself am a second rate engineer who pursued (non-technical) administration work. Most "real" engineers appreciate someone else doing the management gig, as they don't have or wish to use social skills anymore than have to. Some might be jealous of a younger guy getting paid more, or getting the accolades, but they don't want your responsibility/don't have the organizational skills, so fuck 'em. I used to beat myself up about not being a first rate tech, but I realized I have a better eye for making all of the broken processes work, wrangle details, and work off system policy problems analytically better than "real" engineers. So long as you're all making valuable contributions, and you're taking small steps to improve technically, that's more efficient for the team.

StanisBot · 2019-09-12T14:31:28+00:00

Team leads aren’t necessarily supposed to be the best technically. In fact they shouldn’t be, it’s a different skill set. You don’t have to be the expert of each technology, you have know how to communicate to said experts.

The skills in converting high level company goals to smaller, actionable tasks for your team members is the job of the team lead.

It’s a much more rare skill set and you can make great money doing it. Just don’t be a useless middle man. Be known as the team lead whose team gets shit done. You gotta figure out the working mental models of your team mates and help them crush it.

I would read “The Manager’s Path” and “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.

jkarovskaya · 2019-09-12T14:43:01+00:00

CTO is ultra technical, I think you'd be better off aiming for Director level, and eventually CIO

To do this type of career without formal degrees is going to be challenging. Some MBA programs will consider age/experience enough to let you in without a BA/BS. Or get started on certs like CISSP , PMP 6 sigma Lean, and Finance for business classes

https://www.pmi.org/certifications/types/project-management-pmp

These positions require a lot of public speaking, presenting to executives/board level, travel to other sites.

Project manager is focused on discrete task/project, rather than an overall leader of many IT people

Higher up you go, requires 50-55 hour weeks, more travel, more interaction with executives, and a lot of pressure for deliverables and formulating long term goals and milestones

Anshumansri · 2019-09-12T16:47:42+00:00

My advice to you is that first off, leading a devops team is a great position to be in. Learn and master this position first. YOu say you are good with people, use this opportunity as a way to do so. Devops is a very important part of the software development world and devops professionals are always in demand.

WaywardStag · 2019-09-12T12:16:30+00:00

Wrong subreddit.

rquasius · 2019-09-12T13:55:44+00:00

I'm retired, was in computer support (I know not programming). But from my reading, seems like artificial intelligence is a possible up and coming for someone starting a career. I always found adopting something early and familiarizing myself with it, seemed to give me a one up. Your thoughts?

Title	Career path for a current DevOps team leader
Author	fugitived
Upvotes	1
Comments	10
Date	September 12, 2019 11:41 AM UTC (6 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MGTOW
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MGTOW/comments/d36mv1/career_path_for_a_current_devops_team_leader/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MGTOW/career-path-for-a-current-devops-team-leader.418768 https://theredarchive.com/post/418768

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