How to Know If You're Actually Ready for a Management Role
Wanting the title and being ready for the actual work are two different things.
The jump into management is one of the most common career transitions, and also one of the most commonly regretted when taken for the wrong reasons.
Check your actual motivation
Wanting management purely for the pay bump or title is a weaker foundation than wanting to develop and support other people's work — the job itself involves far less individual output and far more people problems.
Look for early signals
Have people informally sought your guidance already? Have you enjoyed mentoring or onboarding others? These are better predictors of management readiness than tenure alone.
Understand what you're giving up
Most new managers underestimate how much less hands-on technical or individual contributor work they'll do — it's worth being honest with yourself about whether you'll miss that.