First of all, my thanks to all those who took the time to give me
pointers, advice and ideas. I appreciate all of it, even if I point
problems in some of the approaches. Some of you answered me off the
list and some on it, and I summarize it all here.
Summary:
With respect to my original idea, that I will look into subjects that
are currently sought after in the market, and make use of my free 6
months to specialize in one of them, there was a general agreement
that kernel drivers are a hot topic suitable for such a plan.
Additional areas were listed as well.
Others have suggested that I should approach the problem from the
other end - specialize on something I like, and then use that
speciality to find an appropriate niche in the market. My foremost
objection to this approach is that there are lots of interesting
areas in computing, only a few of which have a chance of landing me
jobs. It's a matter of forward chaining vs. backward chaining - and I
think it would be more efficient to look for the most interesting out
of a small list of popular subjects, than for the most popular out of
a huge list of interesting areas. And I strongly disagree with the
assertion that any interesting subject I pick is bound to find me a
job. That sounds like a high-risk gamble at best, a mystical belief
at worst.
Another suggestion made was to find a company which covers both my
current area of expertise (PHP and related subjects) and some other
area that might catch my fancy, and that I should start at the PHP
side, and work my way towards the other expertise while being
employed. This is a very practical approach, though it has failed for
me in the past. It's actually the best approach if I didn't have any
free time at all (e.g. if I the circumstances of my quitting my job
meant I had no compensation to expect).
Others have suggested that I work as a freelancer, start my own
business, or switch to a managerial position by taking up an MBA or
similar. I bound all these approaches in one sentence because they
all have the same flaw for me - I have no management talent, and
find managerial jobs too stressful and never successful. Of course,
this summary is for other people who may find themselves in the same
situation. Thus, switching to management may be a wonderful solution
for those who have the inclination. And if any of you potential
company-owners wants me as his/her technical consultant, give me a
call. :)
Another suggestion was to look at what's available overseas. It's a
reasonable suggestion, although I consider myself a Zionist. A job is
not a lifetime and spending a couple of years learning a new skill
abroad is not emigration. I may look into that option, but I'd like
to look closer to home at first. After all, without family or friends
around you to lend a hand, nor even the scant connections that I
have, every risk doubles.
Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who sent links to various
relevant resources.
Oh, and I think I'll forego becoming an airline pilot at the moment.
I don't even have a car driving license, you see. :-)
Thanks again, and further ideas and thoughts are still welcome
Herouth
=================================================================
To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with
the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command
echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
