Career Path Divergence Navigating The Ten-Year Fork In The Road
After working with engineers and IT professionals for over ten years, I have noticed a consistent pattern in career paths of these types of professionals. The career paths are generally similar in that the first three years are spent breaking into their career fields, learning skills, gaining additional training, and establishing their professional reputations. Between three and seven years, they begin taking on supervisory roles such as team lead, group leader, or functional supervisor. From seven years to around ten years (often as late as twelve years) into one specific career path, engineering/IT professionals have established their skills, and are honing their leadership skills.
Somewhere around the ten-year mark, however, they face a choice that seems to be consistent across industries. These professionals often face a choice between the skills-based side of their professions or taking the management track. This time of choice can be a very difficult period for professionals since the decision they make will directly impact the rest of their careers.
Each track offers different...