Need Advice on Design Career Path

Financially, IC pay tends to stagnate after a while. Then your only two options are to look for a change or to move higher up the ladder. So, better pay and increased ownership is a pro.

However, if you are someone who dislikes managing people, setting 1:1s, tracking their progress, doing weekly reviews etc, you may not enjoy being a manager. Also, it is worth noting that it can be an acquired taste for some people. So you may hate it at first, but you might like it the further you go.

Best situation is when you become a manager, have very responsible folk under you and at the same time you have your own projects to work on. That way you won’t miss hands-on work