I've had interesting conversations with recruiters where they make the point that people who write code are always in demand but demand for engineering manageme

I've had interesting conversations with recruiters where they make the point that people who write code are always in demand but demand for engineering management can come and go. I remember one distinctly saying that people my age (early 30's) who moved up to project managers were screwing themselves. This was in 2007 when the economy was in shambles. I've always wondered how big an effect this has on these stories about old engineers finding it hard to find work. The older you are, the more likely your last position had a significant project management component that makes you sound like a PHB.