Should I join the new team along with my manager?
Hi all,
Due to recent changes in the company (Big Tech), my current manager is moving to a new org and a new manager is brought to manage the team. I really respect my manager and they were amazing at supporting me (helped me grow from E3 to E5 in 2 years).
They mentioned the new team has an opening and mentioned that I'd be welcome to join if I wanted to. The new team is our company's top priority and based on initial understanding, their work sounds very interesting to me. Here are some pros and cons I could think of:
Not Changing Team:
- Pro- I have great relationships with IC6s on the team and also junior engineers.
- Pro- I know the codebase well and scope is well defined.
- Con- Been working in this space for 2+ years and feel slightly bored sometimes. Skillset also becomes stagnant.
- Con- Manager mentioned hard to find IC6 scope in the org moving forward.
Changing Team:
- Pro- Will continue the same manager, who I have a great relationship with.
- Pro- Exciting new space and top company priority.
- Pro- Manager considers me as high IC5 and mentioned potential IC6 growth opportunities-(although since manager hasn't joined the new team yet- so I should take this with a grain of salt).
- Con- Having to ramp up to a new team as an IC5 (seems a little risky considering layoffs).
- Con- Unknowns like work life balance, team friendliness, team success etc.
Considering these, I am planning to talk to the senior manager in the new org to evaluate their team and vision. Since this is a unique situation, how should I approach choosing between the two? What kind of questions should I ask? Thanks a lot!
Discussion
(2 comments)- 0a year agoSenior Software Engineer [L5] at Google
First, what does your heart say? How do you feel about this?
I personally would follow a manager I trust and rely on (it seems your manager is). They are extremely hard to come by. I would say if the manager has asked you about this, then they really are thinking highly of you. You've clearly got the chops to handle the work, and feeling "bored" about your current work isn't a good sign for your growth.
I would do some research about the target team though. Can you talk to the ICs on it? It might give you some peace of mind if you are risk-averse. Ultimately, it might not matter - for me having a trusting, supportive manager with whom I already have a great relationship with will trump everything else.
- 2a year agoTech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course Hero
To me, this feels like a slam dunk to follow your manager. They have been incredible to you all this time, and you have a clean opportunity to maintain this relationship.
Good managers are very hard to come by, and it takes a long time to build trust with a new manager. And when it comes to the senior -> staff promo, you really need that strong relationship.
