In many industries a path up through management is the only way to get large increases in pay.

Software Engineering is fairly unique in that one can probably get paid more by staying out of management.

I always thought that organizations fell short in making clear that a first level manager should/will be paid at least a 15%-20% premium for having to maintain technical skills as well as the "soft" management skills.

After all, management involves a lot of activities that engineers find unimportant and distasteful, yet are somehow completely necessary for the survival of the organization.

Great Post!