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I am considering stepping back from a managerial role to an individual contributor role. I am burned out, frankly, and about six months ago, my boss gave me responsibility for some groups that I hated dealing with — they are not my strength, and I did not want to have to take on their problems. 

This took me from being content to being highly dissatisfied. Recently the boss has started complaining about me not doing enough in these areas, and it is frankly sucking the life out of me at work. The job market in my field is not doing great, so just leaving is not a real option, even though I’d like to. When I think hard, I just want to return to an individual contributor role and stop being responsible for other people. Will I destroy my career if I do this?

One of the frustrating things about career progression is the idea that to move forward, you need to manage other people. Doing the work and managing others are two very different skill sets. It’s perfectly possible to love doing the work and hate managing the workers. Likewise, it’s possible to be terrible at doing the work and being great at managing others.

Nevertheless, the standard corporate progression is from individual contributor to manager to middle manager to executive. If you spend too many years at the individual contributor level, you might feel like you’re not progressing. And, importantly, others might see it that way.
But “progressing” in your career is not the most important thing. And individual contributors are what keep companies growing and functioning. Yes, good management is essential, but if you have the world’s best managers and no employees to do the work, you have a pretty bad company.

The value of individual contributors

Many in the tech industry have figured out that good individual contributors also deserve high pay. All the ideas in the world don’t build software unless you have someone who can write the code and solve those problems.

This applies to every other business model as well. A great surgeon doesn’t need to be a great people manager. A great HR person can solve problems and develop employees without writing a single performance appraisal for a direct report. A great server can make the difference between storming out of a restaurant or coming back a week later and bringing friends. In other words, individual contributors get things done, and there is plenty to be proud of. 

I feel like I’m harping on this, but managing people isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s really nice to be responsible for your area and your area alone. If someone else doesn’t do their work, it may make your life harder, but it doesn’t make you responsible.

So don’t undervalue your contribution as a non-manager.

The effect on your career

Yes, this will likely be a step backward at this company. But you may be surprised. In several of my corporate jobs, I’ve had access to information on everyone’s salary. I can tell you that there were plenty of individual contributors in these companies out-earning plenty of managers.

Of course, it’s rare for individual contributors to outearn their bosses, but it does happen! For instance, a pharmacy manager who isn’t a licensed pharmacist will almost always earn less than the pharmacists they manage. A great analyst can earn more money than a manager who keeps track of projects and people.

But some people will certainly see it as a step back. When you’re applying for future jobs, recruiters may see it as evidence that you were demoted rather than that you made a choice. You may have to explain yourself and get passed over for roles you want. 

Does this mean you shouldn’t do it? Well, there are far more things in life than money and prestige. And, as everyone knows, just because you’re a manager today doesn’t mean you won’t get laid off tomorrow.
I think you’re wise to consider changing career paths. Being miserable and working long hours managing people isn’t worth it in the long run for most people. If you have a clear place where you want to be, and keeping this managerial role is a necessary step, then suck it up and get through it. But if you’re not trying to be CEO anyway and can support yourself as an individual contributor with a life outside work, go for it!

No one’s career goes smoothly anyway. If you decide to drop back into an individual contributor role, you may love it for a while and then want to move back into management. That’s okay! It may be a bit more complicated, but it’s better than burning out. That’s even harder to recover from!  

Have a dilemma for the Evil HR Lady? Send questions to evilhrlady@gmail.com.

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