Becoming A Great Engineering Manager Is Insanely Hard

Becoming an engineering manager (EM) is a major career shift that’s both difficult to achieve and hard to excel at. This video outlines why the role is rare, what background is typically required, and how drastically different it is from being a software engineer.

• EMs are in short supply: The pool of strong engineering managers is even smaller than that of strong engineers, making it hard for companies to hire great EMs.
• Strong engineering background is essential: Most capable EMs started out as senior or staff-level engineers, often operating as tech leads before transitioning into management.
• High entry barriers: Given the requirement for both technical excellence and people skills, very few engineers are qualified to move into the EM role.
• Only 20% skill transfer: On average, just a fifth of the skills from a software engineering background apply directly to engineering management—making the job feel brand new.
• Steep learning curve: Many new EMs are surprised at how little their past experience as engineers prepares them for the demands of management, which requires a vastly different skill set.

Related resources:

• [Taro Top 10] Software Engineer To Engineering Manager (IC -> M Track)
• [Case Study] Mentoring Junior SWEs [E3] to Senior [E5] In Just 2.5 Years At Meta