Technical/professional positions versus entrepreneurial/management positions (profit, job, companies)

[stevechang103]

Hello,

while it may seem on the surface that being an entrepreneur/manager is more advanced then being a technician/professional, I have heard from some people that managed to get promoted to management from professional or technical positions that they never get to enjoy the intelectual stimulation they did as actual professionals. This also applies to people from a professional or technical background that have to handle sales, marketing, leadership, and administration when they become entrepreneurs.

For instance, one person I know that went from being a physician to HMO manager no longer gets to practice medicine. Instead he has to yell at and give nos to his former colleagues as their boss and deal with constant, constant paperwork.

Another person was a stock analyst who started a small hedge fund. He ends up having to deal with management, customer, and red tape issues.

Finally, I have some relatives who worked in various technical positions and hated it when they had to give up technical stuff upon becoming managers or starting companies.

My question is the following:

If you had a choice between these two following scenarios which one would you choose:

1. Making 90,000 a year doing professional, technical or skilled trades work focussing on actually doing the professional, technical or skilled trades work.
2. Making 150,000-200,000 a year as a manager of the above or an entrepreneur who hires some of the above and worrying about the following:

1. the profit or loss of your venture or division.

2. Getting the above workers to execute.

3. Management issues.

Thanks

[Quantum]

Of course it's often no fun to be a manager, but you get used to it.

There is a happy in-between though, you know. I'm a Program/Project Manager. I get my hands dirty in technical issues and manage the process/people, which is more fun than being a functional manager. My specialty is crisis/turnaround work where I can make a difference and see results, more offensive as opposed to defensive/functional management.

Catch is that I've been struggling mightily for months to find a new job, and although I see lots of openings, I have gotten zero callbacks the past two months. I can't understand it. Maybe I have much new competition now that vacation is over.

[andywire]

I work in skilled trades and wouldn't trade places for anything. I get my assignments for the week, my scheduled times, and that's the end of it. While there is some stress associated with the work from time to time, I'm capable of controlling my destiny so to speak. If I was managing, I have no control of the quality of the work being done by the workers, but it would be my responsibility to make sure the work is good. In reality, I would have no control over any of that. To me, that would be much more stressful.

At any rate, I enjoy doing things and being busy. I'm just more suited for technical and skilled work. I would go crazy if I had to sit down half the day, attend meetings, or any of that other stuff.

[oberon_1]

Its a matter of personality more then accounting. It depends where you feel better suited. If you make a wrong choice, you will suffer and/or fail.

[jobaba]

Originally Posted by stevechang103

Hello,

while it may seem on the surface that being an entrepreneur/manager is more advanced then being a technician/professional, I have heard from some people that managed to get promoted to management from professional or technical positions that they never get to enjoy the intelectual stimulation they did as actual professionals. This also applies to people from a professional or technical background that have to handle sales, marketing, leadership, and administration when they become entrepreneurs.

For instance, one person I know that went from being a physician to HMO manager no longer gets to practice medicine. Instead he has to yell at and give nos to his former colleagues as their boss and deal with constant, constant paperwork.

Another person was a stock analyst who started a small hedge fund. He ends up having to deal with management, customer, and red tape issues.

Finally, I have some relatives who worked in various technical positions and hated it when they had to give up technical stuff upon becoming managers or starting companies.

My question is the following:

If you had a choice between these two following scenarios which one would you choose:

1. Making 90,000 a year doing professional, technical or skilled trades work focussing on actually doing the professional, technical or skilled trades work.
2. Making 150,000-200,000 a year as a manager of the above or an entrepreneur who hires some of the above and worrying about the following:

1. the profit or loss of your venture or division.

2. Getting the above workers to execute.

3. Management issues.

Thanks

Whichever one required less hours of work.

90K is good for me.

I hate brown-nosing, bossing people around, throwing people under the bus, and acting like my capabilities are greater than they really are. I'd rather be the guy in the cubby with his nose in the computer.

Give me decent pay and good job security for my hard work and I could give a sh@t about climbing the corporate ladder.