In ye olden days (yes, I get that some of you don't like us older employees, but believe it or not, some of us know what we're doing), The best developers became tech leads. The best tech leads became project managers. The best project managers became account execs, etc.). At one point long ago, the #3 man at EDS, a guy named Jeff Heller, had started as a developer and worked his way up. Everyone knew and understood what the developers who built our products were doing. This system worked. As many have stated, they don't do that anymore, and it shows. The worst PMs I've had were those that knew nothing about technology, and didn't trust those of us that did. It's been sad for me to have worked for a great company, and to have stayed long enough to see the whole slide down to where we are. I guess nothing lasts forever, and I'll retire soon. But it's sad, because it didn't have to be this way.