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As a manager, this is the best part of my job. Almost every other bit is drudgery, administration, and distasteful politics.[1] I love it when an engineer, junior or senior, wanders over and asks a question about something deep or complicated. We can write math or pseudocode on the whiteboard. Even just drawing ``network'' diagrams of things talking to other things helps get me through the day.[2] It's especially rewarding when the lightbulb goes on. I'm willing to be late to meetings with executives, skip lunch, or stay late at night for these sessions. Don't assume your boss found it painful at all. It's quite likely the best part of his day. I had the advantage of the same sort of boss at my first real job. In retrospect, he was remarkably patient with me, showing me how to _learn_ the craft of developing software. I had previously been a hack, and he gave me enough knowledge to build my own skillset extremely quickly. (Secret weapons are always handy.) [1] I went into management because I have an authority problem. Principally, a problem when I perceive ill-informed or untalented authority figures making poor choices that affect me. After a year or two in management, when I learned enough about operations, finance, marketing, etc., I came to the realization that I'm now just in the middle of a pyramid of the same problem. However, I stay because I have priced myself out of the programmer market. I now use the extra money to bootstrap a startup with a friend and save the rest away from the "emergency/retirement" fund so I can burn longer when I do jump ship. [2] I am not unaware that this is vain and probably more of a status issue than altruism. ``I've still got it,'' and all that. |