This is extremely well put! As a youngster, I never understood why my father, who is an incredibly talented engineer and perhaps an even better organizer/leader, made no particular attempt to climb the management ladder (he, frankly, was tons more qualified to be an IT exec then any of the various folks he reported to through the years). However, the older I get and the more time I spend in my carrier, the more I realize that I love the "optimal zone"! I think where that zone is varies between persons, but, for most of us, there is absolutely a point where the expectations and responsibilities start to outweigh the benefits of the job (both the tangible and the intangible ones).

In my career, I quit my corporate job and I am now focusing on engaging myself with meaningful engineering work where I can collaborate with other passionate people to solve real problems. Just like my Dad, I could be making more money climbing the ladder, but I guess I learned from his example that there is a whole lot more to life then that....