[hkarthik]

Something no one explained to me that I had to figure out on my own. There are three basic levels of engineering management.

Team level - Supporting individual engineers working collectively to solve a relatively narrow set of business and technical problems. Lots of short term focus.

Org level - Supporting multiple teams of engineers solve bigger, hairier problems and learn to both identify and solve their own problems. More long term focus.

Exec level - Represent the needs and capabilities of the every engineer at the company, and be a strong advocate for them. Support the needs of the larger business and strategy. Super long term focus.

Depending on the company, there are some half steps in between each level, and you may have responsibilities that span multiple levels.

The most important thing to evaluate (and constantly re-evaluate) is at what level you are currently working at and what level you need to be working at for the good of the company. Hire accordingly.

If you find yourself working at all three levels, it won’t be sustainable and the payoff simply won’t be worth it in the end.