It sounds a bit to me like maybe "all these years working on these start ups..." and such has you burnt out on that sort of environment, as well. Web dev to em

It sounds a bit to me like maybe "all these years working on these start ups..." and such has you burnt out on that sort of environment, as well. Web dev to embedded is pretty much the biggest jump I can imagine. You'll definitely need something on your resume besides 7 years of PHP, etc. if you want to try this. The good news is that if you're determined to go this route, you can get some of this experience working with Arduinos and other fun little microcontrollers. As far as games go, if you hated the "fast paced environment" of a startup, I'm gonna guess you'll hate game dev. If you want to play to the strengths of your experience, you can probably find a home at a larger tech company, one that's not so startup-like. A larger company offers a lot of advantages over startups: you get to see what a mature tech stack is like and how it all fits together; you have opportunities for mentorship; and a large company has processes & procedures that are mature and tested. If you really are as out of touch with the basics as you claim, you'll definitely need to study Leetcode to have the best chance at many companies. And, I wouldn't be afraid of being downleveled to a mid-level position, as opposed to a senior level position that would befit 7 YoE. All this stuff is just my humble opinion, and mine alone. Given that it's free advice, I will, however, guarantee that it's worth every penny you're paying for it. ;-)