Why do I have to choose between "management" and "technical" tracks in my career?

Posted by Stephen Gross on Programmers See other posts from Programmers or by Stephen Gross
Published on 2011-10-24T03:28:00Z Indexed on 2011/11/21 18:08 UTC
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I was recently laid off, and although I found a new gig I'm a bit frustrated with how career tracks work in the land of software development. I really love doing a bit of everything: coding, testing, architect(ing), leadership/management, customer contact, requirements gathering, staff development, etc. Software companies, however, want me to fit into a niche: I'm either a coder, a tester, or a manager. When I try to explain to them that I'm best when I'm doing all of those at once, they seem very confused. I'm sympathetic to their interests, but at the same time frustrated that the industry works this way.

Any advice? Do I just need to get with the program, so to speak?

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