Either this is a troll (which I doubt) or you are seriously talking to the wrong crowd. Writing software is a profound discipline that is infinitely more creative and challenging than the "up-ladder" jobs you aspire to. That these shallower disciplines happen to enjoy higher status and compensation is purely an historical accident that will be washed away as the market gradually becomes efficient. This in fact is already happening, not because the deadweight are changing their minds or learning, but because creative people are increasingly realizing the value they can create on their own, without any of the "project management or solution modeling" that you think the "kids" should grow into.
Good management is a very, very difficult skill. I've tried managing small teams (4-6 people, usually non-technical or semi-technical volunteers) and I basically sucked at it. It's much, much harder than programming.
Of course, any manager who reaches for "project management or solution modeling" has basically failed already.
