Me: started in my career in 1999. Identify the core skills that cut across technology choices. SQL, etc. Always try new languages. Never be loyal to any vend

Me: started in my career in 1999. Identify the core skills that cut across technology choices. SQL, etc. Always try new languages. Never be loyal to any vendor or platform. Be willing to work for small companies doing big things. You often have opportunities to "craft the menu" and can grow and learn in ways that you can't in a large company that paints you into a specialized (and often well paid) corner. Freelance on the side - it's not about the money. Understand the businesses that you build solutions for.