I think part of the problem is that we often see CTO as the holy grail for the technical side of things, where that is the final stop in a linear career path. D

I think part of the problem is that we often see CTO as the holy grail for the technical side of things, where that is the final stop in a linear career path. DEV > SR. DEV > ARCHITECT (maybe) > TECH LEAD > DEV MGR > VP/DIR > CTO If you love coding and solving problems, you may find yourself less fulfilled farther down that line. We're also talking about titles that end up being somewhat arbitrary and non-transferrable once we take companies of different sizes into account. CTO of a 10 person startup might translate to Tech Lead in an enterprise software business. CTO at a startup might still get to write code (I know many that do), whereas CTO at a company with a couple hundred developers might not even see code. If you aren't happy, find somewhere that you can do what you enjoy doing. If this is truly your first senior management position, it might be clear that senior management isn't for you - or this isn't the organization that you should be in a senior management position. You could certainly find Sr Mgt or CTO roles where coding is part of the everyday routine.