It seems strange to me to call [developer, PM, marketing, support, management] anything other than a progression of increasing specialization. It looks like a

It seems strange to me to call [developer, PM, marketing, support, management] anything other than a progression of increasing specialization. It looks like a perfectly straightforward path from individual contributor to executive. Everything listed here sounds like some aspect of software creation. I would certainly hope that a VP/Eng has had experience with actual development! Surely nobody assumes that you should have started out your career as a VP/Eng? I must be what the author calls "a well-rounded mediocrity", because my career path is nowhere near as direct as that, if I could be said to have a career at all.