Moving into a management track means using different skills than just software development. It also doesn't mean you are smarter or better than everyone, it's

Moving into a management track means using different skills than just software development. It also doesn't mean you are smarter or better than everyone, it's a different role. You likely get to write performance reviews, stare at stacks of resumes, look at Excel files for budgets, approve expense reports, etc. Sure you might be a final decision maker on some tech things but if your style is to dictate those decisions w/o team collaboration you probably won't last long. When you work at a Fortune 500 company there are scores of VP's, Directors, Senior VP, etc. Those titles don't mean much, but your focus on title and coveting it indicates you feel they mean something. Maybe the VP title means something externally at a small company because there are expectations to have corporate sounding titles when introductions happen with customers or potential acquirers? If you truly covet the VP title, explore why you might want that. Explore what your career might be like moving into management/leadership vs. staying in the technical arena.