I'd say stuff like device driver and kernel work, embedded as well. That's quite different from what you've been doing, but if you've been a coder of any sort

I'd say stuff like device driver and kernel work, embedded as well. That's quite different from what you've been doing, but if you've been a coder of any sort for 12 years, I expect you could learn driver coding without too much trouble. I have the same observation as you of the industry. I'm not so enthusiastic about learning today's buzzword, rather I'm looking for ways to get away both from employment and consulting by starting my own business of some sort. My contemplations mostly involve crowdfunding; I'm not yet sure what kind of project I would seek crowdfunding for, but lately I've been studying how it's done. I have some reason to believe I would succeed. For several years now I've noticed that the instant I walk into an interview, the interviewer starts finding reasons not to hire me. I expect that's because I have grey hair.