I feel like if you're a knowledge worker who isn't interested in management, the IC path is short-lived in almost any profession (not just SWE), no?
To me, the future isn't very bright for anyone who just wants to be an "employee" for the rest of their life, coder or not.
OTOH, the manager path is dangerous in recession times. You lose a lot of "hard" skills, and if you lose your cushy manager job at company A it isn't necessarily obvious to company B what value you have when things are tight.
>the IC path is short-lived in almost any profession (not just SWE), no?
Depends on where you work. If R&D is core to the business, there will be a non-management ladder and plenty of near-retirement greybeards around the office.
Note: many fashionable names in "tech" don't fit that bill.
To me, the future isn't very bright for anyone who just wants to be an "employee" for the rest of their life, coder or not.
OTOH, the manager path is dangerous in recession times. You lose a lot of "hard" skills, and if you lose your cushy manager job at company A it isn't necessarily obvious to company B what value you have when things are tight.