Tom -- great post.

My story is pretty similar, right down to the year! In 1990, I stumbled into an entry level programming job. Took it, did well, told myself I'd only do it temporarily, and it's 2003 and here I am.

Due to several factors, I am looking to get out. Mainly, I'm a little burnt out and in need of a break. I could just take a year off and get back into it some other time, but it feels like more of a fundamental weariness than that. And, I am a little worried about the programming field in the USA in general over the next 10-15 years.

For now, I am finishing up some contracts, and, as you say, staying on my toes. I know that some programmers seem to have remarkable staying power, but for me, 13 years has been enough. Not too much, at least not yet. But enough.




>>>So you would take non-Fox work to keep yourself from exploiting others? I'm not following your point...
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>>I can see that.
>>
>>Alan
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>Alan;
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>I have no problem with your message.
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>I have a wife, son and daughter. For a number of years I worked as an electronics engineer. One day in 1990 16,000 people in my company were fired and I was one of them. We were having a recession and it hit Silicon Valley very hard. So I went into programming and the day I got my first paying job I told a close friend, “I am not going to get comfortable being a programmer and will immediately see what else to study for possible future employment”!
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>Never get comfortable. If you do you will become complacent and obsolete. If you want to have marketable skills you have to have what someone wants to pay for. Stay awake and be light on your feet. Be ready for anything and accept what the world gives you with a smile and positive attitude. Life is a challenge and if you want to enjoy it you adapt.
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>The name of the game is to survive. You cannot let your job be you. Too many people think they are his/her job. This is not healthy.
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>Tom