This is the reason for me as well. The dead end part for me is that the company doesn't value hands-on technical people and has outsourced most of that. There

This is the reason for me as well. The dead end part for me is that the company doesn't value hands-on technical people and has outsourced most of that. There aren't a lot of jobs in the area either. My wife and I have discussed moving down the coast to Raleigh/Durham area since there are a lot more jobs around there and we have some family near there. But I imagine it would be hard to apply and get interviews for jobs when you're not in the area. My wife says if we are to move it has to be in the next 2 years - before the kids are in middle school. The thought process there being that they will solidify friendships, clubs, sports, etc. before high school. Since I've moved into management it is hard to apply for remote jobs that look very appealing career-wise. I fear employers see the management history and think "this guy hasn't coded in years". So many factors to take into consideration that it numbs you into staying.