Focusing mostly on #3: Might be worth interviewing or just chatting around at a bunch of different places (big companies, startups) and see whether something g

Focusing mostly on #3: Might be worth interviewing or just chatting around at a bunch of different places (big companies, startups) and see whether something grabs your interest. Passion is often a bit contagious. I've been pretty happy changing teams every year or so at Facebook, so also consider whether your employer has any internal transfer options available. Focusing on #4: If you don't think you have people to learn from in your team or sufficiently close to you in your company, you should move - either within the company or without. If your company doesn't offer an IC-only track, you probably should make a move elsewhere. #1 - you'll only really find out about comp once you've got an offer (and then negotiated on it), so you'll need to get out there. #2 - Tell your manager what is eating up your work time on things you don't enjoy. If they can't make a difference on that, look around. And also just opt out of things. Also might be useful to be more clear here on what is eating up your time.