I don't know what you do for a primary job, but don't you get a feeling of refreshment and accomplishment from doing something different now and then? Especially when you can see actual progress and improvement instead of going to meetings and reading summary and analysis documents all day.

For example, I'm a programmer, but every now and then I open up and clean the office coffee machine, or mop up a spill in the break room. This isn't what I'm being paid for but doing a good job at it makes me happy, and NOT doing it would be being a jerk.

Wow, I think you have written down what makes me not want to go into management (I've just graduated). The feeling of "seeing"/"measuring" impact (either code churn or shipping or affecting people) is a very good and satisfying one. I also think the satisfaction factor is different for different people but that is what eventually people call "Job Satisfaction" and is a very important thing in the long run. Without satisfaction I don't think someone will be able to do the same job (maybe at the same place) for his/her life.

I don't see how a role in management is at odds with job satisfaction. You mentioned you just graduated -- maybe your impression of management is based on the caricature that tends to be portrayed in pop culture? As a manager, I feel like I am able to see a (hopefully positive) impact of the work I do -- impact both on customers/users and on the members of my team.

I am not closed to the idea of management. I will likely try it once (once qualified enough) to get a feel for it and decide for myself if I like it or not.

My impression doesn't come from the pop culture portrayals but rather from people who have been/are managers and hearing them on podcasts. But my opinion isn't based on that.

To me (which is a very narrow worldview at the moment), the only measurable things in management are:

- product delivery - product cost - customer satisfaction - dev team satisfaction

And two of those cannot be measured in any meaningful way. Whereas in coding (and I don't like these measures) I have lines written/deleted, work items fixed, product completion, feature parity with the design document (and quite a lot more I'm sure) and most of them are measurable.

This is the basis for my view.

PS: Thanks for sharing your views and telling me that management can also allow you to see impact of the work. Also, I do think that more managers are needed who are knowledgeable (or at least willing to learn/work with other who know) with business, development and have domain knowledge of the product (like an EPR dev should have at least used an ERP) so I also want to improve the situation by going into management if I like it.

(I'm a manager.) One big thing this overlooks is helping people learn: management is almost an ideal job if you enjoy teaching and watching others grow. Your "product" is the team you build.

Well, I think there's a lot to learn about management then. This makes it interesting. Nobody in my family (even extended) works in tech and the places they work at management exclusively means managing people by giving them work and taking back product. Also micromanagement.

I'll have to experience it once I get into a job (starting this July). Thanks for the insight.

It's 2015. The scene: Wife and I (both experienced decision makers) are playing Fallout 4.

Me: "I'm supposed to be running a paramilitary campaign. Why am I repairing someone's carrot?"

Her: "All managers ask themselves this darling".

Cue hilarity all round.

Back in 2003 I saw him (Danny Wegman) just seeming to observe people inside the Pittsford store.

I approached him and spoke to him for a couple of minutes - primarily about some additional British products I thought they should have in that section of the store.

(Real) Cadbury's chocolates or Spotted Dick?