I started a journey about 6 weeks ago, when I decided that I wanted to move on from Guggenheim Partners. I had been with the application development team for over 11 years, and I grew and learned a ton. I know I wasn’t always the best partner or teammate when I was going through a number of mental health and self-discovery stages, and I’m grateful for all the support I received and the tough love that allowed me to keep moving on until I was able to grow. I went from a senior developer to a team lead and eventually an engineering manager and I really feel like I’ve found my calling. I truly enjoy working with and guiding a team toward growth, both as a team and as an individual.
Once I made my decision, I was torn between going back to an IC role or continuing as a People Manager. One was comfortable and well defined, while the other was nebulous and difficult. Each was rewarding in its own ways but I had to make a choice and then pursue the necessary tools and knowledge to succeed. Succeed not only in terms of landing and getting through the interview but also in terms of being a full contributor to a team once I onboard. Within a couple of weeks, I realized that I was more excited about people management specifically the ability to level up a team member and help the team find purpose by aligning their goals with the company’s goals.
With that realization, I fully focused on people management roles and turned down IC interviews from Tier 1 tech as well as startups. I’ve been ramping up and reading a ton and thinking back on what I could do better, as well as what did I do well so that I can be able to be effective in my next role. All the research, all the self-investigation, all the studying helped me land two offers from start-up companies. Both were accelerating their growth and looking to grow their engineering teams. Each had its own set of issues, history, and potential but in the end, I decided to join Flex as an Engineering Manager starting on January 17th, 2022.
I couldn’t have gotten this far if it wasn’t for the full support of my wife and partner, who tirelessly takes care of me and our 3-year old daughter. I’m not always the easiest person to live with, especially when I’m going through a major change in my career but none of this would have been possible without her love and support.
