If you want the big bucks, then you'll probably need to specialise - otherwise you will be aiming for an IT Manager role in a small to medium organisation - and they don't come up that often.
I'd look into IT consulting, talk to some of the larger companies that you've heard of, and ask them about what sort of career progression and training they can offer. Talking to people at trade expos is a good place to start, they usually happy to have someone drop by who actually wants to talk to them, even if you're not buying something.
It sounds to me like your aiming for an Architect or Managing Consultant type role, but you need to prove your worth on the engineering or technical consulting rungs before you climb to the top. I don't think you'll still be wanting to dive in under desks in 10-15 years time, so now is the time to think about your options. You might need to specialise in the short term in order to get you that chance to be a well paid generalist in the medium term.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
