[agentcoops]

I took a similar path and, in my experience, it seems to in fact be more uncommon for someone to maintain a real passion for the day-to-day work of programming long-term. Which is to say I wouldn't worry, but try to focus on finding an interesting and enjoyable next move, whatever that may be; just know that you're young enough to take a few risks and that the job market for engineers is still such that you won't have difficulty getting back on that track should you so choose.

Certainly one of the more predictable paths is moving up into engineering management.

In my case, after experiencing a bit of burnout in my late 20s, I debated between going back to school for an MBA---another common route in this scenario---and trying to find a more customer-oriented role within an interesting technology company. I ended up deciding to join a late-stage startup in order to help found their Solutions Architecture team, which has been an absolutely terrific experience. I could imagine going back to an engineering role in time, but I've enjoyed and learned so much traveling the world to work with a wide range of companies across industries---just long enough to understand their business and (hopefully) help resolve their core difficulties...

Feel free to message me (account @gmail) if you're interested in hearing about my experience or of course if you're looking for a new role (https://stripe.com/jobs/positions/solutions-architect).