Have you ever attended an event in which you were asked to give advice to someone starting something new (career, baby, wedding)? Whenever confronted with that question, my answer is “don’t take people’s advice.” Not because all advice is bad, but because all people are different. I am unique, and some advice applies to me, and some not. Here are some of the items people have advised me, and why they may, or may not work.
1. “Don’t be too technical… or not technical enough.” Both? Sure… I cannot tell you how many times when functioning as a systems engineer, I was told, “You know how developers are…” Well, yeah, I coded for many years. And how often do we hear that the stereotypical engineer should not be a manager because of social awkwardness or the inability to delegate? I feel that it helps a team to have someone with hands-on experience lead them – somewhere in the middle is the best.
