The author has a point, and one of the keys here is that the hierarchy for developer is pretty flat. All the jobs I've had except one very small startup the str

The author has a point, and one of the keys here is that the hierarchy for developer is pretty flat. All the jobs I've had except one very small startup the structure was like this: Entry Level Developer (coding 100% of the time) Senior Developer (coding 50%, managing 50%) Manager, Lead Developer, etc. (managing 100%) from the time you take a senior position, you're essentially being groomed to manage the team you're on. Whether you're another level between developers and your director/manager or simply the manager, you essentially stop coding. I think this is the point. It's not so much that programming is a dead end, the inherit structure of most companies is flat relative to the position. It's an interesting idea, how do you give a guy seniority and a nice pay raise, without taking away what he probably loves to do? Obviously for most companies, it means increased responsibility and pay = managerial tasks. For the last several years, I've been in this purgatory. I love programming, but every senior position means a reduction in my development role and an increase in managerial responsibility. The problem now is my skillset is at a place where I'm pretty much at the ceiling. It's hard to say, "I have a senior level skill set, but don't want to be a manager." I know my two options are to either bite the bullet and get into management (which to me is like adult daycare) or start my own company. As of now, I'm already laying the groundwork for a startup, so I can transition out and do my own thing in the next two years.