I've been programming since I was a teenager in the 80's, and have seen it all. Really. I went from being a god-like teenage computer genius, to an over-the-h

I've been programming since I was a teenager in the 80's, and have seen it all. Really. I went from being a god-like teenage computer genius, to an over-the-hill "old guru guy", with all the pay scales in between. I've done some big things, and I've done plenty that I'm not proud of. And now I'm in the situation, early 50's approaching, where I don't have a job lined up for the year, and am out there looking at the market again. I really, really don't like what I'm seeing - coders in their teens, making 1/3rd of what I used to make. Its really a saturated scene, so I'm thinking of other things I can do. Its long since past the point where I should've made myself wealthy by now - but long, long hours, over years, spent making wealth for others has really burned me out on the whole subject. Nevertheless, I'll pick myself up after a bit of a break, and get back into it. I'll do what I always have done: look at the scene, determine what the new hot framework/language/environment is, learn it, use it, and get a job applying it towards other peoples wealth. I probably should have been finishing my side projects in all these decades - and boy, do I have a lot of them. More than likely I wouldn't be in this situation now if I'd finished some of these things and brought them to market. Its just so exhausting, making other people wealthy, you know? (Really: the works I've contributed to have made many, many millionaires over the years... I should be one of them by now. But hey, those high salaries sure paid for a lot of trinkets...)