Hullo Jon ..
One of the things I faced years ago was concept of technology forecasting.
What should I be an expert in, so that I can bill at some rate that will keep me comfortable ? and - what do I need to do to get there ?

For me - I preferred self-study. I knew I could not rely on any other firm or management type to guide me along with choice of toolsets ...

So ? I bought many computers, bought many things, and installed and learned. I was able to purchase things cheaply [and still be legit].

So for now ? If you want to try something ? Get a MSDN Universal Subcription [all MS branded stuff is included here], an Oracle OTN membership, 5 or 6 machines, a few good linux distros, [or an older version of UnixWare], a distro of mySap, and spend some time learning what you think is pertinent ..

But - 'what is pertinent' is always some topic for heated discussion. In my younger days I found that I had to become a monk and learn as much as possible through reading and working in my lab. I was lucky then - there was a powerful PC usergroup in my area, and a powerful Unix usergroup in my area, and I spent some time there learning as much as I could.

But technology forecasting is not an exact science . You will want to tailor your opinions based upon where you think you can make your money.

anyway - that was just my opinion. feel free to splat it out to da deleted bin as well. I am not a fan of going to training classes, but others are. If you think you need training and think you can not motivate yourself to be self-taught, then by all means go to some training class ..

mondo regards [Bill]