3. Do well for a few years until you become out of touch
4. Watch your team stop respecting you on technical subjects because you’re behind the times and too rusty but don’t know it so look foolish and are ignored when you give suggestions, which radically undermines your relationships with them as well as your ability to lead
5. Watch as your role morphs from a manager with chops and respect into a PHB, unless you happen to have been born with natural leadership skills (you probably haven’t)
6. Realize you are now just a mediocre manager who can no longer return to the engineering track since you cannot compete with other candidates
7. Drag yourself to retirement by slogging through life as a relatively poor middle manager
2. Stop coding
3. Do well for a few years until you become out of touch
4. Watch your team stop respecting you on technical subjects because you’re behind the times and too rusty but don’t know it so look foolish and are ignored when you give suggestions, which radically undermines your relationships with them as well as your ability to lead
5. Watch as your role morphs from a manager with chops and respect into a PHB, unless you happen to have been born with natural leadership skills (you probably haven’t)
6. Realize you are now just a mediocre manager who can no longer return to the engineering track since you cannot compete with other candidates
7. Drag yourself to retirement by slogging through life as a relatively poor middle manager