Many years ago, one of my mentors was a senior programmer who had gone from programmer to manager back to programmer again. At the time, I couldn't imagine why

Many years ago, one of my mentors was a senior programmer who had gone from programmer to manager back to programmer again. At the time, I couldn't imagine why anyone would leave the management track-- wasn't that the logical career progression for a programmer? So I asked my friend. His response: "Because in management, they nip at you from the top and they nip at you from the bottom." Meaning that you have to answer to those above you, and also deal with flak from those below you. It's a constant struggle. His words (like many other words given to me by others) have proven true.