Doug;

Just a few comments if I may after reading your post.

I think it all starts with the market – what type of work is required. For a small mom and pop business you can normally use what ever tool you wish. I believe in using the best tool for the job. To me this means being competent with C, Visual C++, Visual Basic, Visual FoxPro, DataFlex, Revelation, Super Revelation, a number of Web Development tools and understanding how to use these tools to the best advantage of the clients requirements. For a larger organization with an IT Department, IT will normally dictate which tools will be used. As long as I am being paid I will not argue what tool to use but I will suggest if asked. If you do your homework you can find any “pet” tools an IT department demands and what not to discuss.

Because of the job market in Silicon Valley I decided to take a position with a large corporation. I am tired of working for small companies that go out of business while trying to support a family. I was warned to not mention Visual FoxPro at my new company. After working here six months I have been asked to do some testing of Visual FoxPro vs SQL Server 7.0 for number crunching. The result does not matter to me as I am being paid to accomplish what the corporation wants. In the mean time I still have my clients and keep up with the latest and greatest from Microsoft.

Always be aware of what the market is doing and where technology is. Position yourself where you think you should be. No need to be frustrated if you do not loose track of reality. Just do not wake up one day and find you have to take up a new profession because “everything has passed you by”!

As President Bush said: “There are plenty of jobs at McDonalds”!

Tom