July 29, 2011 Career Crossroads

Hmmmmm. What to do?

For the past few weeks I have been presented with an opportunity which could be a turning point in where I take my career next. I truly am at a crossroads and not sure what to do. I know what I will do, but I am not sure if that's the right thing to do. Having the over analytic mind that I do, thinking about it over and over is starting to eat away at my brain.

The start of this year I was moved into a Director position, which is more management than technical, but not entirely non-technical but more management than I had originally intended that I am starting to miss being as technical as I once was. Confused? Right now I am at a crossroads, which way to I go and why. I have made the mistake in the past of choosing things based on the wrong reasons but also the right reasons. I am not regretting any professional choice I have made, even the really bad ones, because each one has helped me get to this point. So where do I go from here. One path will take me away from what I am great at and that's building and using technology, the other is a new challenge for me to grow and become great at, but there is a cost associated with that. I have to let go of the things I am great at, because I cannot do both and be effective at both. It's a good position to be in the more I think about it. The environment I am in now is changing and basically laid down a blank canvas for me to do what I want with it, to a point. Either way I will be supported and helped along the way but it's up to me where I want to be. Head down the management road and manage or go from being great to guru on technologies and a strategic planner?

I think back to the golden days of when I was a sole programmer and systems designer. Taking problems and making them better, sleeker, and faster in unique ways. That's what I pride myself with, my side angle I look at a problem, my accolade so far is a patent around one of the processes I came up with and jointly worked with the others to build the system that drove it. That was a wild and long 2 years doing that. I had no clue what Cold Fusion was, Flash, database design, so I had to learn it all on my own. From the ground up all the skill sets to build that thing was my learning and doing. Creationism is a powerful thing.

As time went on I moved into Windows Server technologies, building data centers with 100 servers all working together, OS configurations, and most importantly security lock downs of those systems. Not programming but highly technical and creating something from nothing and watching it work. I find myself breaking out .Net from time to time and writing small utilities that have no purpose only to keep my Visual Basic skills fresh. I play with other scripting tools, databases, and so on. Even as I type this entry I am answering my own  questions on where I should take my career, at least 5-10 years out. I am still young. I have been a programmer, systems designer, network engineer, had a stint in sales, now management. Across the broad spectrum I had the most fun with the hands on stuff. I think I am a carpenter of the mind and not swinging a hammer is something that will be very hard to let go of.

Even today, 100% manager mode, everyone coming to me to ensure success. We succeeded but at times I wished I was at the controls fixing. Am I successful where I am at, I would say yes. Do those who work with me say I am effective, I hope so. Could I be a great manager, yes. Do I want to? Not sure yet. It's very intriguing to go an learn a brand new skill set, but it's also more intriguing to fine tune and master my current ones. I believe there is a hybrid out there and a level where you can be technically involved yet still lead. It might be unique to which environment you are in at a particular time, but I know it exists somewhere.

Time will tell. Tomorrow I may change my mind again, but sometime soon a decision needs to be made and the shot has to be taken. So why not throw out this conundrum to the public eye, maybe someone out there was in the same position and give their insight. A story about a Hooker that became a Pimp... something like that.


BTW-  I love analogies IT guys come up with, the weirder the better. 

End of Line.

Posted in: People,Technology