I spent some time working at a bank during my early career. There is a saying about banks "they have more VP's than coffee pots". What I learned from this expe

I spent some time working at a bank during my early career. There is a saying about banks "they have more VP's than coffee pots". What I learned from this experience is that title is meaningless. As a fellow 40 year old programer my advice to you is as follows. Ignore that title, take what you think will be interesting and be a leader from your level. Make your self a promise that no matter what your going to stick it out for 2 years, and if in month 18-20 your unhappy start looking. You may learn that your happy writing code and not dealing with people. You might get the battlefield promotion back to where you were. You might find that the young engineers hang on your every word and come to you for advice and you can give it freely as your a leader, a mentor and NOT a boss. Lastly, if you go in as an engineer and not a manager, your going to find yourself with a bit more free time (and a lot less bullshit) -- There is freedom in that, and frankly you can make use of that time to scratch other professional itches or find a new hobby!