Accelerating Career Growth: Why Managers Ascend More Quickly by Focusing on Content Writing Instead of Virtual Assistance

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The Engineer‘s Dilemma: Manager or Individual Contributor?

During my first two years working at Meta, I was an individual contributor (IC) engineer. Then, after an encouraging review, my manager asked if I’d start managing a team of my own. I had received strong performance ratings and earned trust among my colleagues and the leadership team, and the association’s headcount was consistently increasing each year.

This is the standard origin story for engineers who transition to management. But the skills required to succeed as an engineer and those a manager needs are significantly different. Strong engineers succeed through rigorous analytical ability and deep work. Strong managers (whose work is decidedly un-analytical!) motivate and grow people’s careers while being prepared to jump into issues at a moment’s notice.

The ideal motivation to become a manager is simple: you care about people. Management is inherently people-oriented, which means managers should grow their reports through positive and constructive feedback. A good manager cares about discovering each person’s zone of genius and then assigning work that best matches that engineer’s profile. The byproduct of this is the ability to scale impact, but that shouldn’t be the primary motive.

A common, yet misguided, reason to switch to management is to earn more money. At least within Big Tech companies, managers and ics at the same level are paid the same amount. In fact, some companies deliberately pay their managers less, simply to discourage mercenary engineers who are optimizing for compensation rather than people.

Though, there is nuance. At more senior levels, managers are promoted at faster rates compared to ICs. A manager’s impact is largely derived from their influence in an org, which includes the number of people in their reporting chain. A director with 50 engineers in their org can effectively “claim credit” for the people on their team.

On the other hand, an individual contributor at the director level must produce output that has a similar scale of impact to what the 50 engineers shipped. As you can imagine, this is much harder. IC promotions at these levels require a level of technical brilliance that is challenging to reliably reproduce.

Managers frequently enough get promoted as they accumulate more people under them. This process can happen through re-orgs or employee departures, not necessarily through the unique contributions of the manager.The result is that managers who stick around long enough will naturally grow their careers. Empirically, this is obvious in the data. At a company like Meta or Google, there are far more VP-level managers than there are IC engineers of the equivalent level.

In the long term,therefore,managers do earn more money than individual contributors. This isn’t necessarily wrong, but you should reflect on your incentives and determine what will make you fulfilled beyond the money.

I ended up saying yes to the management possibility I was offered, and I’m very glad I did. Like any job,there were parts I loved and parts I didn’t,and I ended up switching back to the IC ladder within a year.

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What specific examples of content (e.g., blog posts, articles, LinkedIn updates) have you created that demonstrate your thought leadership and resulted in tangible benefits for your organization?

The Shifting Landscape of Managerial Skills

For years, the path to management often involved mastering operational efficiency – and that frequently meant leveraging virtual assistance (VA). While VAs remain valuable, the core skills driving rapid career advancement are evolving. Today,the ability to articulate vision,influence stakeholders,and build thought leadership are paramount. These skills are honed not through task delegation,but through strategic content writing.

Why Content Writing Outpaces Virtual Assistance for Managers

The difference isn’t about dismissing the value of administrative support. Its about where managers invest their own time and energy. Here’s a breakdown:

* Visibility & Thought Leadership: Consistently creating high-quality content – blog posts, articles, LinkedIn updates, even internal memos – positions you as an expert. VAs can distribute content, but they can’t create your unique outlook. This visibility directly impacts your perceived leadership potential.

* Strategic Communication: Content creation forces clarity of thought. You must distill complex ideas into digestible formats.This skill is crucial for effective management,influencing teams,and securing buy-in from leadership. Simply managing a VA doesn’t demand this level of cognitive engagement.

* Direct Impact on Business Goals: Well-crafted marketing content, sales copy, or internal communications directly contribute to revenue, brand awareness, and employee engagement.A VA’s impact is typically indirect, focused on supporting these initiatives rather than driving them.

* skill Development for Future Roles: As you climb the corporate ladder, communication demands increase exponentially. The ability to write compelling reports, presentations, and executive summaries becomes non-negotiable. Content writing provides continuous practice and refinement of these essential skills.

* Understanding Your Audience: Effective content marketing requires deep audience understanding. This translates directly to better team management – knowing what motivates your team, how they best receive information, and how to tailor your communication for maximum impact.

The power of content: Specific Examples

Let’s look at how different types of content can accelerate your career:

1. Blog Posts & Articles: Establish you as a thought leader in your industry. Share insights, address common challenges, and offer innovative solutions. Keywords like “leadership development,” “management skills,” and “career advancement” are crucial here.
2. LinkedIn Articles & Posts: Expand your professional network and demonstrate your expertise. Focus on topics relevant to your field and engage in meaningful discussions. Utilize relevant hashtags like #leadership, #management, #contentmarketing.
3. Internal Communications (Memos, Reports): Improve clarity and efficiency within your team. Well-writen internal content minimizes misunderstandings and fosters a more productive work habitat.
4. Case Studies: Showcase your successes and demonstrate your ability to deliver results. Quantify your achievements whenever possible.
5. white Papers & eBooks: Position yourself as a subject matter expert and generate leads for your company.

benefits of prioritizing Content Writing

* Increased Influence: Become a go-to resource for information and insights.

* Enhanced Reputation: Build a strong personal brand and establish credibility.

* Greater Opportunities: Attract new opportunities for advancement and collaboration.

* Improved Communication Skills: Become a more effective communicator in all aspects of your life.

* Demonstrated Initiative: Show a proactive approach to professional development.

practical Tips for Managers to Embrace Content Writing

* Start Small: Begin with short LinkedIn posts or internal memos.

* identify Your Niche: Focus on topics where you have genuine expertise.

* Create a Content Calendar: Plan your content in advance to ensure consistency.

* Repurpose Content: Transform a blog post into a series of social media updates.

* Seek Feedback: Ask colleagues to review your writing and provide constructive criticism.

* invest in Training: Consider taking a content writing course or workshop.

* Utilize SEO Tools: Tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs can help you identify relevant keywords and optimize your content for search engines. (Keywords: “SEO for managers“, “content optimization“)