The short answer: yes, of course.
But here’s the thing—it’s not just a promotion, it’s a career change.
To make sense of it, let’s set the stage. In most companies, there are two tracks:
- IC (Individual Contributor): from Junior, Mid, Senior, up to Staff Engineer
- Manager
The jump from IC to Manager usually happens around Senior (IC5) or Staff (IC6). That’s the point where your job is no longer about fixing problems with your own hands, but making sure the entire team has what they need to solve them.
Sounds exciting? It is. But for many engineers, the shift isn’t smooth. Some common struggles are:
- Still wanting to spend 80% of the time writing code
- Having a hard time letting go of a strong technical identity
- Measuring success by the number of commits instead of the team’s impact
So what does it actually take to make the transition? Think of it as repacking your toolkit.
From the IC side, you already bring:
- Technical credibility. Your background means people trust that you know what you’re talking about. When you explain a decision, the team listens.
- Problem-solving. Engineers are wired to look for solutions. That instinct becomes handy when the team hits a roadblock and needs a push forward.
As a Manager, you’ll need to build on:
- People skills. Coaching, giving feedback that doesn’t sting but helps, and stepping into conflicts without tearing the team apart.
- Delivery skills. Managing deadlines, balancing expectations, and working smoothly with PMs, analysts, QAs, and other teams.
- Big-picture thinking. Instead of worrying about the next task, you’re thinking about how the team’s work connects with company goals.
Once you cross that line, the recipe changes. Success is less about technical brilliance and more about human and organizational skills. Roughly, you’re looking at 60% soft skills and 40% hard skills.
It’s not an easy leap, and it’s not meant to be. But that’s also what makes it meaningful.
In the end, the career path for a software engineer branches out. You can stay on the IC track and climb toward IC9, or switch into leadership and grow all the way to VP. Both are valid, both can be rewarding—it just depends on the kind of challenges you want to take on.