This study investigated the early career factors that affect the decision to move from a technical professional job to a technical management position. Sixty scientists and engineers from two research and development (R & D) divisions in the chemical industry were interviewed about their early career decisions. The constant comparative method of qualitative analysis was used to analyze the data. Respondents were categorized into three groups: career technical professionals by choice, career technical professionals by default, and technical managers. Results indicated that favorable job structure, access to mentors/sponsors, and entrepreneurial initiative characterized technical managers and technical professionals by choice, whereas technical professionals by default were characterized by the absence of these factors. The implications of these findings for management research and practice are discussed.