Re: Career question

[Beverly Robinson <Beverly_Robinson -at- DATACARD -dot- COM>]

Anonymous wrote:

My question is: do you think that if I work as a senior writer for a
while, it will hurt me when I go job-hunting again and try to find a
manager position?

And Marian Bailey replied, in part:

In my observation, people have a hard time adjusting to positions in which
they have less responsibility and authority than they had before.


Beverly now chimes in:

When I first changed from managing to doing, I ran into a number of people
who had similar observations.  It was a struggle to convince them that I
knew what I was doing, that a writing job was really what I wanted to do,
and that having been a manager made me a better employee.  I know several
other former managers (who were good at managing and seemed to enjoy it)
who are now writing or consulting--and are doing good work and enjoying it.
Most of us have more than one talent.  And most of us can be happy doing
more than one kind of work.

Marian also said:

I would suggest thinking about whether you would be able to go along with
the decisions your new manager made that you disagreed with, since there
are sure to be a few, and might be many.  If you would find it difficult
not to object, I would suggest continuing to look for a position in
management.


Beverly's experience has been that everyone--up to and including the CEO--
has someone they report to.  We all need to develop skills in expressing
our opinions while decisions are being made and skills in accepting and
supporting decisions that go against our positions.  In those rare
situations when a corporate policy violates your personal code of ethics,
you have to decide whether to continue employment with that corporation,
but those situations are rare indeed.

My opinions alone,

Beverly Robinson

"Nothing more completely baffles one who is full of trick and duplicity
than straightforward and simple integrity in another."  Charles Colton

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