Sort of.. For a given area, experience level, and skillset, there is going to be a general range that will give you an idea of where you are. Recruiters are som

Sort of.. For a given area, experience level, and skillset, there is going to be a general range that will give you an idea of where you are. Recruiters are sometimes helpful for figuring that out, and so are reports like this. I don't know that switching paths is always a good bet - on more than one occasion, I've made more than my boss - and often not by a little bit. Principal-level developers are often compensated at director or even low-level VP amounts. Of course, at this level, you're not heads-down coding all of the time, even if you aren't managing people. Going into management and getting stuck as a mid-level dev manager is probably not going to net you as much compensation as improving your skillset as a developer will.