I had just switched from IBM 370 mainframe assembler to Java in mid-2000, worked for several months at iXL, a then-typical consulting company with high margins

I had just switched from IBM 370 mainframe assembler to Java in mid-2000, worked for several months at iXL, a then-typical consulting company with high margins and correspondingly high "bling" -- elaborate office furnishings, massive plasma TVs in the conference rooms, massages, beer cart Fridays, et cetera. That got crushed in the dot-bomb, followed soon after by 9/11. I managed not to have to return to my former vertical (airline reservations), but I definitely had to scramble to stay relevant. I work at Amazon now (usual disclaimer; opinions my own, etc.).