As you said, the corporate ladder is all about people management, and in most companies climbing the corporate ladder means becoming a manager of people.
If your career goals include becoming a traditional Director, VP, or C-Suite'r, then people management is in your future, but that doesn't mean you can't move up in your career.
Some companies have Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who hold high titles (Director, Sr. Director, and VP)
without a management structure below them.
They are used as internal and external resources for teams and customers to lean on to answer questions and for the company to use for research, like an "Expert on the Shelf".
If you are looking to carve your career path at your current company:
- you could see if there are SMEs working there and ask them how they got their job
- write out what you want from your next promotion and present your plan to your manager and see what they say.
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