u/Born-Chipmunk4494

I got promoted from Senior Data Analyst to Data Analytics Manager, and I have been in the manager role for two years now as an IC. I’ve been in analytics for a while and I genuinely like learning and working with data.

But I’m a bit stuck on what the next step in my career should be.

A bit about me:

• I enjoy learning new things and improving my skills
• I’m not super technical (I can work with data, but I’m not deep into engineering/advanced coding)
• I’m not really ready (or sure I want) to manage people yet
• I still enjoy hands-on work and analysis, but I also want to grow beyond just reporting

I’m trying to figure out what direction makes sense at this stage. It feels like most paths from here are either:

• Becoming a people manager (Senior Manager / Director track)
• Going deeper technically (which I don’t think is me)
• Or moving into more strategic / business-facing roles?

Has anyone been in a similar situation? What paths did you take after becoming a Manager but not wanting to fully go into people leadership or hardcore technical work?

Any advice on roles, skills to build, or even just how to think about this stage would be really appreciated.