An engineering manager turns a group of skilled technical people into a team that ships good work on time and on budget. You stop being judged on the code, circuits or drawings you produce yourself and start being judged on what your team delivers, and on how much your people grow. The path has a clear shape: become a solid engineer first (most managers have a bachelor's degree in engineering, and about a quarter have a master's), then learn to lead projects, then people, then budgets and strategy. This roadmap uses only free resources. Each stage builds on the last, so do not skip ahead. Cred
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Every stage from beginner to expert, with lessons, practice drills, projects, interview questions and free resources. Free with a Rolearch account.
Stage 1 of 4 · about 16 weeks
Learn core engineering practice in your discipline (software, civil, mechanical or electrical), plus basic project vocabulary: scope, schedule, cost, risk. Build and finish two small real projects, write a short design doc for each, and learn version control and a ticket tracker such as Jira. Brush up on algebra, statistics and unit economics so you can read estimates and budgets with confidence.
Core engineering practice in your discipline
Engineering managers are trusted because they understand the work. You cannot judge an estimate, a design change or a risk if you have never built anything yourself.
Version control and ticket tracking
Almost all engineering teams use a ticket tracker and a record of changes. As a manager you will read these every day to see progress and risk, so you need to know them from the inside.
Project vocabulary: scope, schedule, cost and risk
These four ideas run every project. Much of a manager's job is to trade between them, and you cannot trade what you cannot name.
Design docs and clear technical writing
Managers read, review and approve designs, and write to clients and executives. Clear writing is one of the top skills in this occupation, and a short design doc is the simplest way to practice it.
Numeracy: algebra, statistics and unit economics
Estimates, budgets and bids are all numbers. If you can read them with confidence, you can spot a weak estimate or a missing cost before it hurts a project.
Then 3 more stages (about 110 weeks in all) with lessons, drills, projects, 10 interview questions with strong answers and free resources.