It depends on the nature of your being broke. If you have dependants - pets, relatives, etc. - then you have a responsibility to take a job and pay the bills.

It depends on the nature of your being broke. If you have dependants - pets, relatives, etc. - then you have a responsibility to take a job and pay the bills. Otherwise, it looks like you're in exactly the right point in life to risk being broke for a while in order to gain the type of job you want. I don't know about the specifics of your local job market, but one thing I would do is find a reputable recruiter (i.e. one held in high esteem by progammers; such creatures are rare but they do exist) and ask for advice. Explain your goals, and see if they're realistic in your area. Also, attend meetups in your area, and speak to developers and recruiters there. Most old hands will be more than willing to share advice and experiences, and some of them will even be correct and relevant :) Consider the words of Roark in The Fountainhead (great motivational book, by the way): "If you want my advice, Peter, you've made a mistake already. By asking me. By asking anyone. Never ask people. Not about your work." My guess is that you already know, deep down, what you want to do :)