Looks like we have a lot in common Shruubi, but also many differences. I too am from a place without a developer community. A one-employer town of 10,000 people

Looks like we have a lot in common Shruubi, but also many differences. I too am from a place without a developer community. A one-employer town of 10,000 people, and I too am a Canadians fan (well, I kinda have to be, I'm Canadian). I think our similarities may end there. After teaching myself to program, and building some apps that got some good recognition, I decided to get more serious about this programming thing and move to a place which had a developer community. I moved to Sydney, Australia (after considering San Fran, I decided Bondi was a better combination of lifestyle and work for me). Is it expensive here? Hell ya! But you have an advantage I didn't, you can interview, before you move! You can make contacts in Melbourne or Sydney, and don't forget Brisbane has a decent community too with much lower cost of living. It may sound rough, but I think you need to HTFU (as Chopper would say). Or, decide why you want to be in a place with a developer community? What do you look to gain from that? If you're making less as a developer than you could at a grocery store (and you have an employer, you're not just trying to sell your own apps) than somebody is taking advantage of you, or you haven't done the math on what you're worth. The only thing stopping you from 'break[ing] through the window and join[ing] in' is yourself. Stop making excuses, and if you want to do it, just do it. If you don't I'd hazard to guess you'll regret it in the long run.