<p>There is simply no such thing as “general management.” You can’t just set a career goal of “management.” You have to actually know something to manage something. If you are an engineer, you start as an engineer and then you move to a job managing groups of engineers, organizing their work, coaching them to build their skills, running interference when they hit roadblocks, and politicking with other managers to trumpet your group’s successes. If you are a financial whiz, you start as an analyst. </p>
<p>Starting roles are known as “individual contributors” in today’s business jargon. A person can become a highly paid expert and still be an individual contributor. Managers start their careers as individual contributors; those who are identified as having potential to become executive managers are usually rotated through a series of line areas to build expertise: finance, operations, and sales are the key roles. </p>
<p>With today’s matrixed organizations and flat structures almost nobody just manages–usually your role is a combination of group manager and subject matter expert.</p>