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Like many of the other comments in this thread, you should know this is not uncommon at all, and there are some good ways to deal with it that will both (a) protect your happiness and physical health and (b) ensure you don't burn any bridges. Some notes: 1. You have discovered a somewhat hidden little secret: middle management (i.e. "line manager" up to senior director or so) generally pays considerably more than IC roles because the job sucks. It is a job where you have very little decision making ability, but you still have a ton of responsibility, and a lot of stuff is out of your control. It's also a job that is important but really hard: great managers are few and far between, but they can have a disproportionate impact on their team's success. 2. I very much was in your shoes about a decade or so ago. I knew I didn't really want to be a manager, but I kind of fell into it, like you (I was "promoted to my level of incompetence", so to speak). I didn't mind so much being an "in the trenches" manager (I like mentoring people, a lot), but when I got promoted to director I hated it. I spent sooo much of my time on logistics and the fire of the day, it was incredibly draining with very little reward. 3. I think the way I got out of the situation in a "good state" all around was that I just told my boss that I wanted to go back to being an IC, but that I would help find a replacement. It took nearly 10 months to get a replacement, and during that time I worked a ton and was stressed, but my boss was incredibly grateful I didn't leave him in a lurch. In retrospect, I gave much too much leeway. It would have been bad if I "peaced out" immediately, but it also would have been totally reasonable to just say I'd help find a replacement, but after a couple months or so I'm out. That time pressure can even be a bit of a good thing. Point being, as long as you give your superiors a clear understanding of your wishes and work hard to help your team transition to a new manager, reasonable people will be fine with that. |
I recently got so disenchanted that I went back to IC. I found a late stage startup that pays staff+ engineers very well, didn’t take a pay cut, and my skills as a senior executive are actually quite useful as I can both bridge groups and teams with alacrity, think bigger and more strategically, but I also understand intimately the challenges management at each level experience. I’m also highly technical so I can span all aspects of the work. But I am fully an IC, and enjoy having the autonomy to say “screw it I’m programming today.”
I think my advice is if you aren’t happy stop it. Don’t worry about burning bridges or whatever. No one will be burned, at least no one worth working for or caring about. Pursue your bliss, but take the experiences gained with you and be sure to present it as a value add to your IC role when you do. If you do not move out when you’re unhappy sooner or later you will burn out and everything in your life will be harder. Avoid burnout at all costs.