> "though I wonder why you want to be a CTO"
.. I am guessing the question stems from the fact that CTO don't necessarily code daily.
.. I am guessing the question stems from the fact that CTO don't necessarily code daily.
Being a CTO might make sense for you. I'd still ask why you want to do it, just like I'd ask why you want to be a product leader, developer, developer advocate, or whatever.
The core motivation of switching to being a developer seems to be coding more. The others are building a product and being a CTO.
You can find lots of developer's experiences on HN or elsewhere saying that when you start doing other related roles, such as engineering management or engineering executive work, you might spend 0 time coding. Yes, some CTOs code often. I have even heard of a founder and non-CTO of a reasonably large company in the UK that still contributes some code to the codebase, which is admirable and probably overall a good thing though I don't know too many details and could have problems but could be great for everyone.
For some people, no longer coding much or at all is great. They're not interested in coding anymore (or they never were), they want a new challenge (for example, people management), more pay or prestige which often go along with people management or executive work, more influence. For others, not coding much or at all is a terrible fit. For you right now, being a CTO at anything but a small company where you would code a lot doesn't sound like it would accomplish your goal of coding more or the associated joy.
You might get enough coding joy by coding outside of work. It's worth considering. It's great to code full time if that's good for you. It's great to code outside of your primary work if that's good for you. Whatever works for you short term and long term, day to day and big picture.
About building a product - you can build many products right now with your current skills. You don't need to get a different primary job, or 2 different ones (developer advocate and then software engineer) to do it. You have some stability and mastery of crucial skills, and hopefully some disposable income though in many cases not much is necessary especially at first.
If building a product is one of your main goals, what can you do to take a step in that direction today?
If I were you I'd start with the meaty product work rather than developing anything, even a website.