In the hit television series Silicon Valley, a brilliant engineer named Richard invents a revolutionary compression algorithm for his startup called Pied Piper. Richard and his teammates quickly gain success and must learn how to navigate the many nuances of business development for a multi-million-dollar company. Eventually, Richard faces the same question that many successful engineers must answer at some point in their career.

Should I stay an engineer or should I become a manager?

While you may not be at the helm of an engineering startup, you may be at a crossroads in your career when you reach senior status. Typically, higher-level engineers receive managerial promotions due to their wealth of experience and potentially more developed people skills.

Research shows that engineering managers tend to make more money than engineers (an average salary of $149,530 vs. $79,840 per year for engineering managers and engineers respectively). However, many engineers grow unhappy upon switching to engineering management.

So, the question becomes, “Is it worth making more money if I hate my job?”

Management Isn’t for Everyone

It’s great to broaden your skills and share your knowledge with others. But what if you switch roles and hate working in management?

Here is a quick comparison chart to help you understand the differences between an engineering and management position.

The foundational questions to ask are: Do you want to lead a team and share your knowledge with others? Or do you want to work on solving technical problems on your own with occasional help from your teammates?

Engineering managers do sometimes get to work on solving problems with their team. But often, they fall prey to more bureaucratic, business development discussions. Some people have the business acumen to naturally step into that kind of role. Others may need to really switch gears mentally and physically (especially if you’ve been working hands-on with equipment for years!).

What if You Could Make More Money and Stay an Engineer?

When you take the ResourceTek path, you actually can stay in the engineering field you love and reach a higher compensation. That’s because you have ResourceTek advocating for you and helping you find the best job matches for your skill level.

If you stay in your current position or look for engineering jobs on your own, chances are that you will miss out on insider connections. Not to mention, you will only see the jobs you’re searching for and their listed salary ranges. This puts your own perspective in a vacuum so that you don’t have a clear picture of how much your skillset is worth to a potential employer.

ResourceTek takes the guessing out of matching your skillset to the appropriate salary range and open positions. With knowledgeable recruitment specialists who have your best interests in mind, you are more likely to find the best of everything:

  • Higher compensation
  • A list of more jobs to choose from for which you are uniquely qualified
  • The right fit in company culture, innovation, and opportunity
  • Ability to advance in your technical field without having to switch to management

Keep the Best of Both Worlds

If you want to make more money but don’t want to switch to a management position, it’s time to check out ResourceTek, a technical recruitment company with a robust network of Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. We match your skills, experience, and knowledge are matched to open positions at awesome companies. All you have to do is apply and show prospective employers what you can do.

Take the ResourceTek path, get in touch with a recruiter: recruiter@resource-tek.com.