If climbing the greasy pole to management, or taking a desk job is what lights your fire my friend, then go for it.
I'm a pilot because I love flying, and very often, the most 'fun' flying jobs are outside the airline industry. Only a small proportion of airline guys give up the big bucks and airline benefits to return to more grassroots aviation on anything more than a part-time basis. Guys whose ambitions from day 1 bypass all that are missing out on a great deal of enjoyment.