Manager or Techie? What direction would you like to take?

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I have been there and done most of what has been discussed here. I am a techie at heart but also can man manage well if needed, so fate always found me in a management role in the companies i worked for in the UK. However, when i was sat behind my desk, not only did i act as a help desk for the troubleshooters in the field, when necessary i would go out on site with them and roll my sleeves up and get stuck in. I never lost my technical ability doing this.

Also, i couldn't resist expanding my knowledge when i was in management. I would use my own self initiative to start projects that interested me. Setting up the company network from scratch, back in the days of Windows 95, installing all the Ethernet cabling, telephones and servers and workstations and supporting Netware servers, NT4 Intranet, Unix, internal messaging systems all single handed with a little outside help from time to time.

My biggest project was upgrading a 40 trunk line telephone switch (Avaya), i didn't like the mess that the previous people, including BT had made of it, so i ripped the whole thing off the wall, rewired the units, installed upgrade cabinets and wired it up properly using BT's and Avaya's own specifications, which they seemed incapable of following.

Now i manage myself and do everything still, even make the coffee.

It's what you make of it, i don't regret my management days, the big salary and company BMW were nice.. though some of the crap you have to deal with is not so pleasant.