Being an engineering leader who isn't technical is dangerous
I would be scared if I had to find a new job and wasn't technical
Being a software engineering leader that is not technical anymore is a dangerous place to be.
You have been managing dozens of employees.
You are great at managing people and processes.
Navigating corporate bureaucracy and BS might be your top skill now.
Unfortunately, you just got laid off.
Most companies, especially small ones, want to hire technical leaders who are... highly technical.
They need someone who can build PoCs, lead special projects, and frankly get shit done.
Being a non-technical... technical leader is a tough spot in your career.
It makes it much harder to get a job.
You are more limited to middle management roles only in larger companies.
If you work in larger companies, some of us inevitably get to this place in our careers.
I think this is a sad reflection on the industry, being technical and being a good manager are two different skillsets. Being a strategic CTO is a third.
This obsession with technical skills means we often shoehorn a technically strong person into a role that requires more of one or both of the other skillset.