Pursuing a role in leadership is one thing, but what happens when you try to return to life as an individual contributor? Our guest, Paul Nadeau, equates this experience to having “resume damage.”
Join us for episode 345 as we dive into the differences between pursuing a technical career path as an individual contributor and a career path in people management from a guest who has experienced both. Paul reveals a strategy for gaining expertise by sharing examples of his willingness to find and clean up a mess.
Through turbulent times in the tech industry, how can we give to our network with no agenda? Listen to Paul describe his approach to meeting new people, supporting them through layoffs, or just providing advice…all through merely having a conversation.
Original Recording Date: 08-28-2025
Topics – Technical Career Paths vs. Management Career Paths, Returning to Individual Contributor, Specialty Decisions, Nurturing Your Network and a Focus on Helping Others
3:15 – Technical Career Paths vs. Management Career Paths

* John mentions we have spoken on the show about the technical / individual contributor path to progression as well as the management career path.

* There is usually a path to stay an individual contributor in medium to large size organizations (i.e. the ability to progress to senior engineer, staff engineer, principal engineer, distinguished engineer, etc.).
* “If you want to progress in your career and you don’t have that path, management is not the natural thing to look at…unless you actually want to stop what you are doing and become a manager…. Becoming a manager does not make you…tech lead. It makes you manager. It’s a hard piece of advice to give somebody if they’re in an organization that does not have a next title, a next promotion for that person where they stay an individual contributor…. You shouldn’t try to become a manager. You should try to move organizations. That’s hard advice to give. I’ve had to do that a couple times.” – John White
* Paul recalls a conversation with his manager not long after the manager had been promoted into the position.

* “There’s no comparison between the management going up a chain of command and the engineer going up a chain of command. It’s a completely different skillset altogether….” – Paul Nadeau


* Paul tells us that as leaders progress to higher levels in an organization they take on more responsibility but also begin to manage a profit and loss center (or PNL). Rather than individual expense reports you’re looking at what the team is spending and what they are spending it on.
* The next level up is leading an entire division and considering how to distribute funds within your budget for salary raises, bonuses, or other types of compensation.

* Paul tells us that many leaders love to hand out promotions, but no one likes to fire people.


* When evaluating a technical career, Paul likes to think about the following:

* Am I having fun?
* Am I a benefit to the company?
* Where will I be a bigger benefit to the company…in my current role or in a management role?
* If applicable, are customers happy with me in my role (tech support, professional services, etc.)?


* “I think one of the big reasons why people leave companies is…whenever they say there’s no room for promotion; it doesn’t have anything to do with promotion into management. A lot of times they think that’s what it is. But it has to do with promotion of their brand, their career path. What are they doing, and how are they getting there? That’s what it has to do with.” – Paul Nadeau
* Management is a lot like herding cats, and according to Paul, not everyone is going to have fun doing that job.
* Paul has fun whiteboarding and providing technical solutions for his customers.