Money quote: "You have to be the boss or you have to play ball." Pretty much sums it up - when you reach a point of having so much experience you know what has

Money quote: "You have to be the boss or you have to play ball." Pretty much sums it up - when you reach a point of having so much experience you know what has to be done, and how to do it, you'll inevitably take exception to others trying to tell you what to do and how to do it. At that point you could step up and be the person who communicates & reinforces that with the team. People need that, especially if you're the kind who's right often, and helps people. What's awkward for a lot of engineers is of course the fact that getting into a leadership role inevitably takes you away from the kind of work that first made you get into the business. You have enough experience to know how things should go, but too much experience to continue being an "individual contributor" as they say. Consulting seems like an interesting "middle path" in that you're an expert and a leader in a way, yet you might still get to do some actual work sometimes!