Thanks for sharing your experience. My career has drifted around a bit between IC and management, but I’ve always been highly technical. At the point (20 years in) I’m wondering what’s next, because up (Principal levels, directorships, etc.) hold little to no interest for me. I’d never really considered SE roles, despite having worked with great SEs for a long time, just because… no reason, just never thought about it. But at this point, the idea of helping a wide range of customers apply a known technology seems more appealing than the pure development work I’ve been associated with all these years.
I have a couple of co-workers who have similar stories as you. 20 years in with some management experience, and they don't care about being the VP of Whatever. Solutions Engineer is a great role for someone who CAN manage but doesn't want to JUST manage, as you spend a lot of time "managing sideways".
