stuck between fears is not good place to be. for reasons similar to yours i dropped out of the tech field completely years ago, touching upon the experiences yo

stuck between fears is not good place to be. for reasons similar to yours i dropped out of the tech field completely years ago, touching upon the experiences you mention of your friends who did not find mgmt roles to be satisfying. one thing you might consider is option of becoming a consultant and having your existing company be your first client. then you'd have more flexibility to explore other options with either other clients or side projects. don't know if that's possible in your organization, but you might be surprised, it could be a win-win for both you and them.