I've been in a situation similar to yours, and I'm just getting ready to make the jump from big corporate engineering software to my own startup. I keep lookin

I've been in a situation similar to yours, and I'm just getting ready to make the jump from big corporate engineering software to my own startup. I keep looking at all these cool startups and all the cool technologies they are allowed to work with and I realize that the only way I can get out of this job and enjoy my profession once again is If I become like them That's a big assumption that's bound to make you unhappy. There are other options; why not apply for other jobs in the Java world and gain more experience? People in forums like HN love to disrespect Java in favor of newer and sometimes better tools. If you're taking that personally (Java sucks; I use Java; I suck), you need some perspective. Java totally rocks compared to what the rest of us have to use. I once spent six months working in FORTRAN on a Gould/SEL. The only editor I had access to was "ed", God help me. There is always someone worse off than you. There people in my office who have maintained analog computers and entered assembler code byte by byte using eight toggle switches. Working with awkward technology is a rite of passage. What I would like help with... The people who are well versed in all these tools, even here, are a small minority. It sounds to me like you need to start having fun again with computers, and that won't happen if you compare yourself to some non-existent ideal.