Choosing My Next Career Path: Manager or Architect? /u/AjTiAdmin CSCQ protests reddit

I’m currently contemplating the next step in my career.

I’ve been a software engineer in the Web Development industry for over a decade, primarily focused on building and maintaining enterprise SaaS applications. In recent years, I’ve transitioned into technical leadership roles where I’ve been responsible for defining the technical direction of projects and managing the tech stack. These roles required extensive research into functional requirements and technologies, as well as system design and architecture. Additionally, I’ve mentored developers in building features on top of the foundational systems I helped establish.

At this stage, the Tech Lead role feels like my comfort zone. It allows me to balance leadership responsibilities while staying hands-on with coding, which makes me feel that I’m still leveraging the programming expertise I’ve built over the past decade. However, I have a strong desire to grow in a direction that emphasizes business decision-making and soft skills development. Naturally, this has led me to consider the Engineering Manager path.

Recently, though, another opportunity presented itself: the Solution Architect role. This position doesn’t involve coding but aligns closely with many responsibilities I’ve already handled as a Tech Lead, such as engaging with clients and stakeholders, conducting research, and creating technical designs.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? What would you advise?

I’m currently contemplating the next step in my career.

I’ve been a software engineer in the Web Development industry for over a decade, primarily focused on building and maintaining enterprise SaaS applications. In recent years, I’ve transitioned into technical leadership roles where I’ve been responsible for defining the technical direction of projects and managing the tech stack. These roles required extensive research into functional requirements and technologies, as well as system design and architecture. Additionally, I’ve mentored developers in building features on top of the foundational systems I helped establish.

At this stage, the Tech Lead role feels like my comfort zone. It allows me to balance leadership responsibilities while staying hands-on with coding, which makes me feel that I’m still leveraging the programming expertise I’ve built over the past decade. However, I have a strong desire to grow in a direction that emphasizes business decision-making and soft skills development. Naturally, this has led me to consider the Engineering Manager path.

Recently, though, another opportunity presented itself: the Solution Architect role. This position doesn’t involve coding but aligns closely with many responsibilities I’ve already handled as a Tech Lead, such as engaging with clients and stakeholders, conducting research, and creating technical designs.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? What would you advise?