>>>Maybe this really is an industry for the young. I used to be able to keep up with it and now feel a little bewildered.
>>>
>>>I agree with Tracy on this one....it's not about age. Not at all.
>>
>>You'll see. You are several years younger than me and are already flying in a fairly narrow range of Microsoft-annointed technologies -- SQL Server, .NET, SharePoint. (Flying very well; that's not my point). How much do you know about the emerging technologies and emerging platforms like smartphones and tablets? How receptive are you to things that unsettle what you know?
>>
>>My specific situation is not all about age. I do not withdraw the point, though.
>
>And how much do you know about them? or about .Net? or about anything that is new and not some wierd flavored rehash of VFP...

I know SQL Server pretty well, although others know more. My C# knowledge continues to grow. The knotty problem now is how to get a foot in the door without work experience.