I wouldn't call it a dead end to be a senior programmer. Even if afterward you are never promoted, if you are making around $100,000 a year, then many people would be content with that.
And it's not like going into middle management would bring a higher salary. And your job security would be worse. Every time there have been mergers or cuts, the first to be cut is not the specialized technicians but middle management.
This. All of this. I will never stop coding if I can help it. Every coder I've ever met who got promoted to management (not hands on) ended up having a terrible time finding work after that role ended. No way. Not for me.
That said that's just my experience. Obviously there are no absolutes and managerial roles are necessary for a medium to large company to function properly. It's a shame that things are the way they are in that regard.
>Every coder I've ever met who got promoted to management (not hands on) ended up having a terrible time finding work after that role ended.
Where I work periodically upper management decides there are too many middle managers and fires a bunch of them. Guys who went into management in their late 30s and 40s don't have enough experience to stand out as managers and haven't kept up enough to go back to the technical track. Most of them end up finding something, but it's usually not ideal (lower pay, longer commute, longer hours). Some call it quits and retire early.
Every few years someone from the company swings by my cubicle and asks me if I'd like to be a manager. I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted. Half those guys are gone by the time the question comes up again.
IMO the only way to do management in the US is to go to a prestigious school and start along a career path that puts you in the C-suite.
And it's not like going into middle management would bring a higher salary. And your job security would be worse. Every time there have been mergers or cuts, the first to be cut is not the specialized technicians but middle management.