Many companies have a dedicated technical track that runs in parallel with the management track, specifically for cases like yours (which are very common) You

Many companies have a dedicated technical track that runs in parallel with the management track, specifically for cases like yours (which are very common) You could suggest adopting that kind of structure at your current company? Or otherwise, you may just have to look for it elsewhere. But your feelings are valid, and you're definitely not locked into management across the whole industry, even if you end up having to pick between this and the other things you like about your job But it sounds like you're really unhappy, and you should definitely listen to that feeling