From time to time I think about my future in the computer industry. What I do best, without a doubt, is computer programming. I’m not sure I’m management material, but I really have no idea. I’m considered pretty good at what I do, which is directly related to the following traits:
- I take interest in the computer science world in general and programming in particular.
- I care about the code that I write.
However, I never see myself advancing up the company ladder, because writing code seems to be a career limiting move, especially if you’re good at it. For example, if you care about what you’re doing you might get into arguments with management over some design decision that you think is wrong. In turn, it would make you look like you’re not a team player. It might even just look to everyone else that you’re not such a nice guy. I’m not the only one thinking about it… Tom Ball of Sun Microsystems talks a little about why writing code could be a career limiting move. (via Artima)