Comment by masgis

I agree that there is nothing wrong with choosing to stay away from senior positions, and in fact there are many benefits to what you're doing. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the "Gervais Principle", but it's a fun theory to think about related to this. I'm sure HN has brought it up before, but it's relevant here. https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-...

The idea is that the mid-level "clueless" are the ones who choose to climb a corporate hierarchy, while the non-senior "losers" (not social losers, but the people who struck bad financial bargains) are able to give up capitalist striving for a stable life. As a "loser" you can move between different jobs more easily, stay happy, and avoid politics and unnecessary responsibility. Here's an excerpt from that article that resonates with me:

"The Losers like to feel good about their lives. They are the happiness seekers, rather than will-to-power players, and enter and exit reactively, in response to the meta-Darwinian trends in the economy. But they have no more loyalty to the firm than the Sociopaths. They do have a loyalty to individual people, and a commitment to finding fulfillment through work when they can, and coasting when they cannot."

I actually find the "loser" to be the most interesting and useful person at most companies.

Anyway, that's my two cents.