>and shouldn't we be making the most use of this skillset when there's a shortage in the industry Except there really isn't, no one cares how nice your code is

>and shouldn't we be making the most use of this skillset when there's a shortage in the industry Except there really isn't, no one cares how nice your code is or how hard the problem is. They want you to solve a business problem for them. That is what you're really being judged on and paid for. Even Google's promotion boards take into account the success of your project as far as I know. Leading a project helps engineers gain insight and training in the skill that they're really being measured on.