Most of us who choose a career in IT do so because we love the hands-on work. We start out on the front lines as a developer, DBA, designer, administrator or support tech. With time, we grow into new roles as our natural drive and curiosity prompt us to learn — about the technical areas we have chosen, the products and platforms we work on, the new technologies we’d like to work on and the roles we have yet to play in technical organizations and projects.

At some point along this trajectory, we are likely to hear a question whose implications are more profound for our careers and lives than we probably realize: “Do you want to be a manager?”

Those probably won’t be the exact words you’re asked. (And there’s a good chance that you won’t be asked at all, but instead will have a management “promotion” thrust upon you without the opportunity to really think about whether it’s something you want.) The question can seem innocuous, suggesting that you’re being asked to take on a few new minor responsibilities in addition to your current job: “Can you lead a team of three developers on the next sprint?” “Will you take charge of the next deployment?” “Would you like to manage the late shift on the help desk?”

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