Generally the problem is, in many (most) companies, management track is the only track. I'm not sure how many companies have the maturity of recognizing that m

Generally the problem is, in many (most) companies, management track is the only track. I'm not sure how many companies have the maturity of recognizing that management stuff is just one of the things one must do, which some people have a knack/passion for, like devops or talking to customers. Most companies have an org chart, and the level of success/pay correlated to how high you are on said chart (in no small part due to your pay being determined by the person above you). This is an unfortunate reality, but truth is, programmers can avoid this BS to some degree, because can jump ship any time/start contracting, but this is even more the rule in other industries, that some paper pusher out-earns the movers and shakers.