[daveac]

I became proactive and managed my managers. I did not and still don’t want to return to management, but the company only viewed progress as working up the management ladder.

I made a case for an almost parallel career path as a technical contributor, my value was not just in company/domain knowledge but also driving quality, reliability, robustness and developing solutions in response to company needs.

While I do assist and fill in for team leaders I still code.

I do a fair amount of mentoring, coaching, research and presentations, my work is still 75% billable as “code”

I think what I am saying don’t be passive, manage the mangers and make a case for what make you happy and benefits the company