My schooling was Computer Engineering, my career started as a Software Engineer and has wound all the way up to Director level. I’ve been on both sides of this equation for a long time.
Your typical “just a manager” has to spin so many plates and babysit so many people that most real “engineer types” would loathe the job and frankly, not be very good at it. I struggled mightily as a team manager where there were a lot of competing priorities, personal issues, and directions that I needed to follow. As I got higher up the chain of command the job got easier, I had less direction I had to conform to, I was thinking architecturally and in longer terms– and I didn’t have daily interpersonal drama to deal with.
Management isn’t for everyone, engineer or not. It’s a lot like parenting: Most people are just making it up as they go, trying their best, and the best ones generally put others before themselves.
Put the idea that Engineers should be these lone wolf rockstars that just to get to do what they want, regardless of corporate objectives or market positioning is ludicrous.
As an engineer, I can confirm that we’re just as short sighted and dismissive of other people’s work as they are to us.