Back when I used to work for other people, I would always start over as a developer when I took a new position. The pay is about the same for a senior developer

Back when I used to work for other people, I would always start over as a developer when I took a new position. The pay is about the same for a senior developer to a lead and it is also about the same as pure tech management, but the headaches are a lot less. In 3 organizations, I rose to the position of CTO and it was never my ambition. My experience has colored my outlook, but I believe that smart solutions and hard work will elevate you. I have read countless articles about the politics of promotions here on HN, but I take little stock in them. At your current organization think like a businessman, identify the biggest pain points in the organization and fix them, fix them on your free time if you have to. If you start fixing or implementing items that significantly increase revenue for the company it will not go unnoticed. Being a painkiller gets people addicted to your success.