[rcavezza]

In trying to frame this question, I would suggest having the end in mind. What do you want to be doing in 5 or 10 years? I don't know if you have an answer to that question, but you should give it some thought.

Once you have that answer, I would think about what decisions you will need to make in the short term to get there. Do you want to be an architect? Do you want to be a CTO? Do you want to be a team lead? Do you want to start a company?

If you have (or can get) clarity on where you want to be, I would suggest keeping the end in mind in order to make decisions today. Let's say you want to be an architect in 5 years. Maybe the management route is taking away from you gaining the expertise you will need to succeed in that role. However, if you want to be a CTO in five years, then you are probably technical enough and need to improve as a manager.

There isn't an answer that someone can give you for this specific situation. It really depends on you and where you want to go in your career.