I agree with you on all points. I guess my writing was a little jaded due to the particular situation I am in. We have someone with all the management initials after their name, but with no technical background at all. They do seem to think that you just push a button and the computer will spit out a client server program in a few days. I do have to admit, he knows MS Project forwards and backwards, but that is about it. What is happening is that due to layoffs and there no longer being a huge backlog of work. There really isn't that much to manage anymore, and that threatens his and other middle management positions. Because quite honestly with a less that full workload I can take care of everything on my projects by myself. So what is happening is that the threatened people who are paid 6 figures and are not billable are playing heavy politics to make others (myself included) look like a bunch of programmer monkeys who can't handle anything on their own. They want to make themselves look useful at the expense of others and it is really a horrible atmosphere. I love working and interacting with the clients and now that is being taken away from me so they can create their own work where there is none. I'm paying my salary and theirs when they really have nothing to do.

I agree with everything you said, I'm sorry if I came across really negative. It's just that the situation here is one that is approaching unbearable very quickly.

On a more positive note, the last thing you said about a technical person becoming an effective manager is exactly what I need to work on. I do tend to get so caught up in the excitement of using some new code technique or the latest version of something that I will forego normal management philosophy and tactics. I get so excited about showing the client "look what you can do" that I will add features to something that they didn't even ask or pay for, yet they end up loving. I do tend to go overboard with my enthusiasm. I guess the bottom line of my initial tirade was that I hate politics, I want to provide a service to my clients, not have to worry about what schemes the guy in the office next to me is working on to make me look bad. Everytime I have a success now, I get another leash put on my to reel me in. It is a very weird and unsettling environment. It wasn't that way before. The last manager was a programmer also and knew full well what was involved with development. It was great in those days, he would be as excited about the "new toys" as we were and he could sell them to the clients and get them excited about them as well. I don't even get taken along on demo's or client meetings anymore. I am deemed as such a threat to management that they keep me in a hole and drop some food (new programs) to me under the door.

The only way I see this changing is to have so much work that everyone is so busy they don't have time to worry about other people or their own usefullness. Bring on the work.....I'll keep thinking positive until then....

Have a great day !!!
Jace



>>Who needs a PHD teaching me inter-office politics. A PHD for a non-technical management level person trying to lead software geeks stands for one thing in my book: Post Hole Digger................
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>Jace,
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>PMFJI, but I agree in theory, not necessarily in practice. I think it depends more on the manager themselves as opposed to what their background is. I have had situations where the non-technical manager was the only one who was able to keep a project afloat because of their business acumen and understanding of corporate processes and financial planning. I think a really good manager is just that; a manager not a programmer. The last thing I need is someone else to have an opinion about the technology and code. What I do need is someone who is smart and able to take care of the other stuff so I can do what I enjoy. Which is something we both seem to agree on. Of course, there's nothing to stop a great developer from also being a very effective manager. Who may even earn their PHD along the way... :-)
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>Renoir