What's a typical career path for a customer success manager?

There are so many career paths for a Customer Success Manager! I don't view the CSM's path as necessarily linear, but a "typical" one might be:

1. Customer Success Associate
2. Customer Success Manager
3. Senior or Enterprise Customer Success Manager
4. Strategic Customer Success Manager 
5. Manager of Customer Success
6. Director of Customer Success
7. Head of Customer Success

That said, there are a lot of different specializations, such as Customer Success Operations, Renewal Management, or large-scale Customer Success (sometimes called 1:many or "digital"). These specializations are great goals for someone who has been in Customer Success for several years and would like to advance in paths that are not necessarily management. 

Growth opportunities abound for really effective and successful CSMs.

•  Jungle GYM: We have seen and heard of Customer Success Managers moving into literally every department - Training, Marketing, Product, Analytics, Operations, Consulting, Professional Services, HR and more. (Check out this link to know more about the Jungle Gym concept of career progression: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-career-jungle-gym-matters-now-more-than-ever-pattie-sellers/
• Individual Contributor progression: We have also seen CSMs, thrilled to remain ICs and become Principal CSMs or equivalent. Usually, these CSMs will super-specialize and are responsible for highest ARR and/or most strategic customers.
• Management progression: Skilled people can advance quickly, especially when experienced CS professionals are in short supply. We even know a few people that have gone from CSM to CCO in a very short period (2-3 years). Inside the companies that have a successful CS practice, there is a growing level of attention that comes to the function, even to the individual CSM. If you are OKAY with a job where the CEO asks, in good or bad circumstances, 'Who is the CSM on that account?', you'll be just fine. Typical management path > CSM > Sr CSM > Manager of CS > Director of CS > VP of CS > CCO. 

There are many possible paths for a Customer Success Manager. Some examples are;

Individual Contributor (IC) Path

• Associate Customer Success Manager =>
• Customer Success Manager =>
• Senior Customer Success Manager (Enterprise Accounts) =>
• Principal Customer Success Manager (Large Strategic Accounts) =>
• Senior Principal CSM or CSM Director 

As a CSM progressing through the IC path, the more senior you become the larger and more strategic the accounts that you are assigned to. 

People Manager / Leadership Path

• Senior CSM => 
• Team Lead, Customer Success
• Manager, Customer Success
• Senior Manager, Customer Success
• Director, Customer Success

Some Possible Career Paths Outside of Customer Success

• Account Executive
• Product Management / Product Marketing
• Business Development
• Renewals Manager
• Technical Path: Technical Account Manager, Solution Consulting

Our current path goes CSM - Sr. CSM - Principal CSM - Mgr, CSM - Dir, CSM - Sr Dir, CSM.

I think there are options along the way as well to move into or come from pre-sales, sales, marketing, product, ops, or talent acquisition, depending on how your organization is set up.