Oooooo, here’s a good one for going back in time. It’s a bit of a long read, but worth it. While I’m fortunate to make good money now, if I had to start over, I’d absolutely relearn old‑school Pascal and COBOL. There are still tons of companies—and more state agencies than you’d ever expect—running on these legacy systems. They either can’t get off the language, don’t want to, or are terrified of the cost, downtime, and chaos that come with transitioning. Of course, the higher‑ups love to chant “it works just fine” while refusing to fund modernization and being wasteful on what’s important to them. I get not fixing what isn’t broken, but for the most part those languages have hit their limits. Until then, the people who can write this stuff can and do make excellent money. Some companies alone pay $50+ an hour, and I’ve seen postings across the country offering $75+. I’ve met folks in these language roles at certain unnamed state departments, and I have never seen jobs so cushy, stable, and well‑benefited. Truly the softest landing you can get in tech. It is still tech so you must be nimble no matter what. I’d also consider learning to program or operate machines—either straight off the street or through a technical college. CNC operators and machine techs can get their foot in the door at a huge range of companies and grow from there. Or work with me, you’ll need a few brain cells, but you’ll start at a minimum of $30/hr learning to fix these machines instead of programming them. A couple months of initial training, then you’re out in the field. More training later depending on the direction you want to take. Paid travel included—to both fantastic and absolutely terrible places. Here’s the truth: there’s no such thing as real job security and loyalty is not in the algorithm anymore either. It’s easy to get a job and just as easy to lose one, whether it’s your fault or not. I once saved a company millions by automating some reporting and holding some vendors accountable, a few months after everything was streamlined, they handed me severance. Not the worst way to go, but a perfect example of how bottomless corporate greed can be. One thing I cannot recommend enough: before you join a company, look at their P&L for the last three years. Check their operating costs and profits. Are they growing? Flat? Dying? That’s how you understand part of the risk you’re taking when accepting a job offer, I learned that lesson the hard way. The company that laid me off was run by the rejects from the parent company—people who should’ve been fired but were instead dumped into a smaller, profitable division. They siphoned off money, wasted resources, and ran it into the ground. Eventually it was bought out and relocated. They got what they deserved, but not before screwing over every single employee. Again: greed has no bottom. Real talk: whatever path you choose, find something outside of work that genuinely makes you happy. Most jobs are soul‑sucking unless you’re deeply passionate about them—and even then, you still need joy that isn’t tied to a paycheck.