Engineering Manager: Career Path

Becoming a software engineer manager is the logical next step for many developers around the world. It's offering ways to show leadership and further climb the career ladder to higher positions. But beware, as we know it's a career change, not a promotion.

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What does the Engineering Manager career path entail?

Engineering Manager

Going into software engineering management means putting your tools down and instead empowering your coworkers and other engineers in your team. Only great engineers that want to take up leadership duties can grow into this position. But it's also a path that's worth it and can lead to more career opportunities on the Head, VP or even CXO level later on.

Best books to explore the Engineering Management career path.

A well-written and thorough book can be an amazing path to build deeper understanding and also act as a handbook as you discover the internet's vast resources.

These are our and our experts top picks to get started building career-relevant skills.

Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager: How to Be the Leader Your Development Team Needs

Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager: How to Be the Leader Your Development Team Needs

Software startups make global headlines every day. As technology companies succeed and grow, so do their engineering departments. In your career, you'll may suddenly get the opportunity to lead teams: to become a manager. But this is often uncharted territory. How can you decide whether this career move is right for you? And if you do, what do you need to learn to succeed? Where do you start? …

An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management

An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management

Will Larson's An Elegant Puzzle orients around the particular challenges of engineering management--from sizing teams to technical debt to succession planning--and provides a path to the good solutions. Drawing from his experience at Digg, Uber, and Stripe, Will Larson has developed a thoughtful approach to engineering management that leaders of all levels at companies of all sizes can apply. …

97 Things Every Engineering Manager Should Know: Collective Wisdom from the Experts

97 Things Every Engineering Manager Should Know: Collective Wisdom from the Experts

Managing people is hard, and the industry as a whole is bad at it. Many managers lack the experience, training, tools, texts, and frameworks to do it well. From mentoring interns to working in senior management, this book will take you through the stages of management and provide actionable advice on how to approach the obstacles you’ll encounter as a technical manager.

System Engineering Management

System Engineering Management

Using a "total systems management" approach, this book covers everything from initial establishment to system retirement, including design and development, testing, production, operations, maintenance, and support. This new edition has been fully updated to reflect the latest tools and best practices, and includes rich discussion on computer-based modeling and hardware and software systems int…

Engineering Management

Engineering Management

This book is intended to serve as textbook for enginerring and managemant courses. It seeks to develop an understanding of the basic managemant concepts required in different engieering disciplines, Meets the specific requirements of students pursuing B.Tech/M.Tech courses, MBA, Post graduate Diploma in Managemant / Engineering Managemant

Engineering Management for the rest of us

Engineering Management for the rest of us

There’s a lot to be purposeful about that many of us learn on the job, and worse: learn on people. This book provides some organization for collaborating with networks of people, working together towards a common purpose.

Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track

Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track

What are the skills you need to develop to reach Staff Engineer? Are technical abilities alone sufficient to reach and succeed in that role? How do most folks reach this role? What is your manager’s role in helping you along the way? Will you enjoy being a Staff Engineer or will you toil for years to achieve a role that doesn’t suit you? Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track i…

Engineering Management in a Global Environment: Guidelines and Procedures

Engineering Management in a Global Environment: Guidelines and Procedures

Engineering Management in a Global Environment: Guidelines and Procedures provides guidelines for changing roles of engineering managers in the international arena. The book covers global, multidisciplinary, and flat engineering organizations. Recommended procedures for hiring, mentoring, work assignments, and meetings in the global arena are detailed. Guidelines for keeping up with technology…

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Courses to deepen your Engineering Management skills.

These days, courses are no longer a sequence of videos. They are usually accompanied by projects and a learning community, keeping you accountable and on the path.

Our experts recommend these courses, from free selections to paid programs.

Engineering Project Management: Mastering Project Complexity

Engineering Project Management: Mastering Project Complexity

In this program, you will learn the project management skills you need to successfully manage engineering projects. First you will focus on the early project phases, which are crucial to achieve project success. The areas covered include the project manager and the team, the project process and the project context. At the end of this part of the program you will have created your own project e…

Engineering Management Interview Course

Engineering Management Interview Course

Learn to ace the engineering management interview process from start to finish with practical examples and strategies from top managers. Covers management skills, project presentations, and system design.

Your First 90 Days as a new Engineering Manager

Your First 90 Days as a new Engineering Manager

So you got the job of a data or software engineering manager - what do you do and where do you start? Most companies don't have training programs for managers, or for people who want to move into management. This course will help put you on the right path - we outline what to do for your first 90 days as an engineering manager. We will walk you through the most important parts of your role you…

Technology and Engineering Management Graduate Program

Technology and Engineering Management Graduate Program

The Technology and Engineering Management Graduate Program provides the breadth of skillsets required for management in those sectors. Building on existing work experience, this program teaches financial analysis, establishing a strategic direction, and building dynamic, cohesive teams. You will develop comprehensive managerial expertise as well as learn how to optimize it for your industry. Y…

SAE course: Engineering Management Academy ACAD09

SAE course: Engineering Management Academy ACAD09

As we gain experience and grow in our professional careers, we each develop our own communication style, and we tend to operate within that style with great comfort. However, in higher leadership roles, we must recognize that we need to raise our communication effectiveness in many more situations and with a much wider variety of people. In this section, you will learn skills that will allow y…

Engineering Management MSc

Engineering Management MSc

The online Engineering Management MSc will equip you with practical and theoretical knowledge of modern engineering, alongside a grounding in management. Offering much more than a generic MBA, the course has been designed by engineers, for engineers. It aims to meet the needs of a changing engineering environment and expand your engineering management career options. There has never been a mor…

Get the guidance you need on the Engineering Manager career path

There is no better source of accountability and motivation than having a personal mentor. What used to be impossible to find is now just two clicks away! All mentors are vetted & hands-on!

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Join me on a whirlwind journey through my professional life, filled with geeky beginnings, unforeseen challenges, and the transformative power of coaching. From my first foray into the world of computers at the age of 12, to navigating the primitive landscapes of green-screen monitors and clunky processors, my passion for …

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Are you: - An engineer actively working towards a career transition? Considering management? - Responsible for building/scaling an engineering team? - New to engineering management and want an external thought partner? - Burned out and want strategies for addressing it? Please reach out! Chris Bassano has spent the last five …

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Hey! 😊 I'm an Engineering Manager and love the intersection between Tech and People. I've been an engineer myself and have worked in small start-ups and larger businesses. I've mentored over 60 engineers globally, helping them advance and flourish in their journeys. I love helping engineers find their way and …

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Hey! My name is Griffin, I'm an Engineering Manager leading the Search and Discovery organization, made up of 3 teams at Apollo.io, working remotely from Buffalo, NY. My love of management, leadership, and growth started in my first internship at Riot Games as a Development Manager. There I learned the …

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Director of Engineering at Instacart and prior to that worked at Airbnb, Google, Microsoft. Co-founded a startup. Have mentored engineers and Engineering manager in these areas * Helping teams scale and grow * Helping teams execute well on goals * Career change * Coaching managers to be better at people …

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Hi! My name is Pragya Bajoria! I have 9+ years of experience in the big tech industry across different areas (Search, Ads, Android). I have experience with landing high-stakes projects, driving career promotions and navigating stakeholder partnerships. I enjoy solving problems with a growth mindset and a mindful approach. I …

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Growing into a Senior Engineering Manager role pays off – $30,000 up to per year.

Not only is the progression from individual Engineering Manager to a Senior role a natural progression, it also makes all the difference in your average salary.

On a global average, Senior Engineering Manager receive a $30,000 salary hike over entry-level Engineering Managers when they go from individual contributor to senior personnel.

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Get the help you need & advance your career

Ready to make the switch? Connect with one of our engineering managers and don't miss out on your next career step.