You may want to consider the language Python and the Dabo framework - check out http://dabodev.com/about. Dabo is a 3-tier, cross-platform application development framework, written in Python atop the wxPython GUI toolkit.

If you want to work for small to medium sized companies I think .NET makes sense. However, UNIX/Java/Oracle still rule in large companies and that will probably remain the same.

>I am in a rut, I am still a relative newbie (4 years real experience, 90% with Visual FoxPro). I can do about anything capable with fox, it is a great language but like latin, no matter how eloquent the language, it is a dead one. MS is letting it die a slow death and I prefer not to ride it to it's grave. I want to learn so new technologies and languages but having trouble deciding where to start. It seems like most of the choices lock you into a fixed path. I Java doesn't seem like it will be around for long, Unix is a bit too arcane, .net, oh .net, where can I begin?, and C++ just doesn't seem very productive. I might have it all wrong, if I do please set me straight. Any advice?