[nkb_]

In my view: where you want to take your career is up to you. Your manager should provide you with the guidance of how to get there.

Going into management is different than continuing on the IC path (at least in most companies). As a principal or architect, your job is to find the technical areas that should be explored (e.g. should Kubernetes be used, or Rust or something else), what are the implications of these technologies as well as how well they will solve the customer problems. Splitting the project and working with the rest of the team to have a sound solution. As a manager your job will be to deal with people and conflicts that arise due to various misalignments. Motivating people, making sure projects get delivered, taking responsibilities for things that you weren't aware were happening. Setting direction and making sure everyone is informed on what is going on. These are just the highlights, once you get into the position you get to see the different nuances, e.g. how to talk with person A vs person B. Figuring out what motivates them, what upsets them, what are they good at. Observing people and providing them guidance on how to achieve their goals.