When I did cross that age treshold, these two articles made a lot of sense to me: The Engineer/Manager Pendulum https://charity.wtf/2017/05/11/the-engineer-man

When I did cross that age treshold, these two articles made a lot of sense to me: The Engineer/Manager Pendulum https://charity.wtf/2017/05/11/the-engineer-manager-pendulum/ https://charity.wtf/2017/05/11/the-engineer-manager-pendulum... Engineering Management: The Pendulum Or The Ladder https://charity.wtf/2019/01/04/engineering-management-the-pendulum-or-the-ladder/ https://charity.wtf/2019/01/04/engineering-management-the-pe... Especially that last one makes some poignant remarks. OP's article implies that climbing the "ladder" seems like the only way forward. If not because of one's own volition or ambition, then because circumstances (mortgage, family, life goals) prompt one to climb the ladder simply because of the financial aspect. For sure, at 35-40, you transition from being a youth / young adult, into a full on, mature adult pressed between several generations. There's an assumption that you are a responsible, independent, reliable person who will commit themselves to challenges their confronted with. However, that doesn't mean in the slightest that you are somehow obligated to climb into management and stop writing code alltogether. On the contrary: choosing a management position is not a promotion, it's a career change that requires a different very set of skills, brings its own stress, and - like building code - isn't just for everyone. OP's article does have a point when it comes to versatility and making use of the diversity of challenges that require digital solutions. As your experience grows, the challenge shifts from learning how to churn out efficient, performant code towards finding interesting and engaging problems to solve. There's plenty of opportunity to move your career lateral in all kinds of interesting ways rather then upwards.