Ketchup

I’ve written a couple of posts in the past that provide an outline of my career progression. Today’s update is in that vein, as I’ve taken on a new role as a technical manager, getting back into people management after a few years off from it.

I was chatting yesterday with one of my new team members, and he asked me a pointed question. Paraphrased, “Given your technical background, why would you choose to be a manager?”

On my résumé, I describe myself as having

a keen interest in architecting systems that are secure, scaleable, and cost-effective, and then building the organizations best suited to implement them

And therein I think lies the reason. I’m a builder at heart, to which this blog’s domain name testifies. And building great solutions requires building great organizations, and it’s that latter team construction which is a manager’s primary responsibility. So I think it makes sense that the builder mentality can carry over to people, even if the technologies involved differ.

Here’s a great upcoming year!