> I think a part of me just feels I should do slightly more challenging work, where either knowing algorithms well will help, or having some greater domain know

> I think a part of me just feels I should do slightly more challenging work, where either knowing algorithms well will help, or having some greater domain knowledge will help Is there anything preventing you from doing this in your free or spare time? Can you help out with an open-source codebase on github, for instance, or do you have an idea for a side project you could start and contribute toward? While it won't be something you can point to as a part of your "career", you can still leverage the experience provided its documented in some manner and you have something to show for it. Just consider it another part of your portfolio. For instance - in the domains you mention (operating systems, parallel programming, graphics algorithms, embedded systems) - there is one area which you can play around in at home which can encompass all of them (and much, much more). That area is robotics. For a single individual, its probably one of the most difficult domains to explore, because it literally can encompass so many sub-domains and experience levels, depending on how far you take it, and what kind of project or projects you decide to pursue. Not just on the software side, either - there'll be plenty of mucking around on the hardware side as well (you might even learn welding and CNC machining on the side - or, if you're ambitious, make your robotic project a CNC robotic welder!). There's also the fact that having such a side project (whatever it may be) can be a way of taking off the pressure of the day-to-day work you currently do. It can serve both as a hobby and a means to learn things you don't or can't learn in your current employment. As you develop the project, be sure to keep notes, and track of what you're doing, and put that info into your resume in some manner to illustrate what you know, what you learned, challenges faced and overcome, etc. It may ultimately lead to that better job you're envisioning. Worst case scenario, you end up learning a bunch of new skills which you can apply to future projects or a later position (or heck, maybe even your current one).