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Hugh Blemings's Blog, A Diary and Miscellaneous ramblings
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Fri, 27 Jan 2006
Next Wednesday I move back into a technical role with OzLabs and Martin takes over managing the team. I'm delighted, not, I hasten to add, because I dislike management, but simply because I've missed doing technical stuff.
For the last six years I've had the privilege of managing the OzLabs team. First the group that made up the Australian arm of Linuxcare then for the last five years our broader team at IBM that includes some very capable folk in the US. It's been great, indeed it has proven to be without a doubt the most rewarding period of my career.
So why change then ? Well, as I note above I simply miss doing technical things. Our group does some seriously cool things, much of which ironically we often can't talk about. I figured rather than continue to live somewhat vicariously through what the guys were doing it'd be interesting to get back "on the tools" myself.
Martin had expressed some interest in people management and would clearly fill such a role very capably, so it kinda went from there. I should make it clear that I spent a lot of time saying things like "It's too late for me, save yourself!" but he remained both undaunted and quite keen.
Management in the Linux Technology Centre and IBM Australia have been enormously supportive so it's really made the whole thing a no-brainer. I still get to work with the same fantastic group of people and only have to move my stuff about four desks to the south :)
The new role is sounding quite fun, will be a mixture of planning/strategic sort of work as well as a decent amount of coding. Also get to keep working on my masters course which ought to finish up at the end of this year. Even the scope to keep studying beyond that, but figure I'll see how December 2006 looks.
So, next Wednesday starts another chapter, one that promises to be at least as rewarding as the one draws to a close.
Wonder how long it will take for the pointy bits in my hair to disappear ?