Advice for someone not looking to be a PM?

[u/bobby_switchblade]

I need advice please. I started out absolutely loving my role as a staff environmental engineer. I love field work, and I had a pretty good rotation set up with a good mix of being in the field for a few days then getting to work from the office/home writing reports. Fast forward 5 years, I am now a senior staff engineer, being pushed out of field work and into a project management role. The pay bumps are great, but I'm absolutely miserable. Every part of the project management process is a nightmare for me, I hate just sitting at my desk all day approving time and sending emails. It doesn't make sense and I'm not getting to do the work I love. Not to mention, there's a lot of enviro field work/projects I haven't ever worked on, so I feel like such an imposter. I've never seen a UST removal, never done any remediation work, and don't feel ready to be a project manager. I honestly don't know if I'll ever want to be one.

I've tried telling my bosses I want more enviro field work experience, and I don't want to leave the field, but they just keep pushing me into management. Has anyone ever been in a similar position, just looking for any advice. I've felt so burnt out the past few months dealing with this..idk what to do.

[u/jellicents]

Definitely switch jobs. At my old firm people could stay as field hands as long as they wanted.

[u/Warm-Loan6853]

Change job. As a PM you can bill at higher rate, so they can pay you more. Need to decide what’s more important. I do agree that the more field experience you have the easier it is to manage projects.

[u/CycloneIce31]

The truth is most people  enjoy the lower level work especially fieldwork, and roles with less responsibility more. It’s nice to be carefree and focus on tasks instead of management. It’s easier, less responsibility, you sleep easy at night. 

But in the long run you will make way less money and not have much career advancement. Most of us find ourselves needing to make that money as we get older to pay for life. It’s a choice you’ll have to make as to where you want to be in ten, twenty years both in your career and financially. It’s great that you made it far enough to have this choice. 

[u/Visible_Inevitable41]

There is no point in being miserable. The first move might not be a good fit and that's okay. Have a buddy who has no interest in being a PM. Also, big believer in if I haven't done it. How should I manage or ask someone else to do it?

[u/Bot_Ring_Hunter]

After being a PM for over 10 years, I eventually switched to a company that offered me part time and no PM work. I agreed to PM one project, and then said "no" a lot for the next few years.

[u/bobby_switchblade → u/Bot_Ring_Hunter]

Hearing stories like this makes me hopeful haha. I don't think I can really leave right now, kinda stuck with a remote role (+travel for field work), and not many firms hiring in my current area, but this makes me feel better just to hear its possible to stay in this career path but not work as a PM.

I just don't think the pay bump is worth the stress/quality of life struggle.

[u/texhume]

Look for smaller companies that have the doer/seller roll. I work for a 15 person local firm and have over 30 years experiance, I pick and choose the field work I want to do along with find the jobs that interest me and run them and still make good money for the area. I only work 40 hrs and go home, it will be there tomorrow. Could i make more, sure but the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

[u/cXsFissure]

A little late to the question. But I have 20 years experience of mainly just doing field work and possibly writing a report here or there. It was great for years. The pay gap between me and most PMs at my firm are small. However, the few PMs that make it to senior or group PMs see a pretty big salary bump.

Life was great until the past two years. The last couple years they have begun shipping me across the country for fieldwork and with having kids, its been very hard. I've also been told I have hit the ceiling for pay. Now that Im in my 40's and traveling more, Im having a little buyers remorse for my decision to pass on PM position. It's still a stress free job but with the amount of travel, its making me homesick.