This is exactly why even though I graduated with an engineering degree, I went straight into business.

I didn't want to have to make that jump to management. Rather, I started with an analytical role and moved up (well I actually left soon after).

While there aren't many exec-level programming jobs out there, there are plenty that still require analytical skills. While none of the execs where I worked crunched numbers themselves, they reviewed other work and poked holes in business analyses. I think analytics career paths are perfect for the people who like engineering but want the upward mobility into management.