Should I return to my coding roots?
I have been working in the software development industry for 30
years, first as a programmer, then in
project management and development management roles. Facing
redundancy, should I continue in project management or take the
opportunity to "return to the bench", bringing my programming
skills up to date and applying for more junior roles than I might
otherwise have considered?
There may be more prospects in project
management
There are no barriers to either of these options. What you may
want to consider is which role you would be most happy doing.
Following the project management route will utilise your skills,
whereas a development role will make your management experience to
some extent redundant.
Business/management skills are at a premium and will
increasingly be in demand development roles are increasingly
satisfied with nearshore/offshore capability, so it is a shrinking
market.
My advice would be to follow the project management/development
manager route, as this will give you the greater career prospects.
Perhaps consider enhancing your appeal by doing a
Prince2 course.
However, if you feel you have no financial commitments, as you
would have to take a reduction in salary, getting back into
development is always an option open to you. The risk is that
employers may feel that you would get bored in a "junior" role due
to your expanded skill set, and you may leave the position.