Thomas, it's your point I'd like to hear from more hackers. I went through a similar period years ago, slowly discovering that I hated programming, and certainly had no idea it was ubiquitous. I had just started a new company and it was the worst possible time to learn it. Moreso, programming from boyhood (whizkid!) made it sewn up in my identity. Crisis!

Management was an escape for a while. And luckily it disappeared, like teenage allergies. Now I can't wait to hack in the mornings. But at the time, it was devastating.

On a related point, all the folks I know who exited programming for other careers, were lesser programmers. I certainly didn't want to make that self-discovery. :)