I came to this realization a few years ago. I found that while my judgment was still improving, my output wasn't and my ability to think through problems wasn't

I came to this realization a few years ago. I found that while my judgment was still improving, my output wasn't and my ability to think through problems wasn't where it used to be, especially when it came to the tiny details. So I moved into management. It allowed me leverage my strengths while putting me in a situation where my value wasn't determined by my raw output. It sucks going to all those meetings, but it honestly made me enjoy the programming I did do considerably more than I did before. The programming I did do for the team was all prototype work with new technologies that either I or the team felt could help us out...short 2-3 hour projects whenever I could fit them into my schedule. But everything was new and I wasn't implementing things I'd done a ton of times before. In the end, I don't think this is a satisfying answer. There just aren't enough managerial jobs for all the old programmers and a lot of them can't handle the meeting workload of that kind of position. But I still suggest it on an individual basis because it's a chance to put all that experience to work programming at a higher level. Instead of linked lists you're dealing with fresh-out-of-college devs who know their big-Os by heart and can crank out code at a frightening pace. But you still need someone to ensure the overall design doesn't suck. To read over what they're producing since there will always be some crazy mis-step that they make from time to time. You still need someone who has seen a project evolve over multiple years to know which decisions will become problematic down the road. The young guys can't do that. And while it's been an adjustment to learn to find satisfaction without typing out the code myself, I've learned to enjoy the launches (both product and career) in a way that's more fulfilling than my time as a full-time coder was.