I'm currently deciding between doing my PhD in an unrelated field or starting a career in software engineering (currently interviewing with 2 large European startups that seem to have a great work culture.)
One of the biggest advantages of working in software for me would be the possibility to work 4 day weeks (32 hours) and still make a decent living. I'm not super passionate about it so I would see a career in the field more as a means to an end. After a few years, I would like to work in a more people-oriented position.
1. Are those goals (working 4 day weeks and working in a "managerial" position) mutually exclusive? Wouldn't a company expect it's "higher ups" to commit full time to their work? I.e. is there a glass ceiling in terms of salary/title for people who don't work at least full time?
2. I like going to the office regularly but I also LOVE the idea of working remotely for a long period, say 1-2 months every summer (currently doing it and it's amazing.) I'm sure it would be possible for a dev role, but does the same apply to a position like engineering manager?
3. I would also be interested in taking extended sabbaticals now and then (like unpaid time off.) I would imagine that would not be possible once you have a lot of responsibility at a company, except inbetween jobs?
I understand that a lot of these are absolute first-world problems. I'm just trying to weigh the pros and cons between tech and academia as accurately as possible. Thank you for any input!
At least that is what I did during the .com boom. Long, long time ago (like the 90s); cross the rivers, over the hills once upon a time there was a really really hot market anything to do with technology. Investors would drop millions on crazy ideas in hope to make it big. Technologists, including senior executives like CIOs, CTOs, CISO, CSOs, and other word-salad executive roles were garnering some (back then) crazy money. I crafted a company that would 'lend' such CxOs to small to mid-size companies on a retainer. It worked. They would sit in board room meetings, senior management team meetings, provide technical insights, help with strategic problems and solutions in their domains, and everyone was happy.
Maybe you can do something like that. You get a monthly (smaller) pay, and then you can charge by the hour when you are called upon. Two or three such contracts, and you would be set. This is assuming you actually have some expertise that is business usable and in demand.
The simpler path is to monetize your existing expertise as a consultant. It would meet most of your needs.