[tomasr]

Just my personal experience, but seems to me like the career growth options for coders, while staying technical are more open in product-oriented companies (or starting your own products), than in consulting/outsourcing companies, where project management is seen more valuable by both the company and their clients.

Either that, or you have to go into technical pre-sales, but that's a different story. In the consulting/outsourcing case, anyway, it's about what the company can get its clients to pay for, and many just don't know any better.