I know the trapped feeling. I have a mortgage that's been refinanced twice, 2 car payments, a wife and 2 kids that occasionally need food and shelter to survive, etc. Right before the economy went south, I went from being an $80/hour independent consultant that demanded respect within the IT field at every company I've done work for, to a 5 figure salary low man on the totem pole at a Fortune 500 answering to a boss that sees me as a commodity on a team of 20 people. I have creditors and tax collectors beating down my door every day. I've already taken over 40% in pay cuts in the last 2 years.
If you are in a similar position, there's no way out. Any career change would require an additional pay cut that would lead to losing your home, your cars, your COMPUTERS, your way of life. The only way out for would be to liquidate everything, sell off the house and cars, move into a low rent apartment or with a family member and reboot your life.
Friends of mine have gotten out early. Here are a few interesting things that they've done:
2 different people went and got their Commercial Driver's Licenses and starting driving the big rigs.
1 former employee of mine moved in with his mother, went to nursing school and now is successful as an RN.
1 person and his brother, both in IT, went and took over their father's plumbing business.
1 interesting person bought a plot of land and went "Green Acres" and built a nature preserve. He eventually came back to IT after taking a break and is the CTO for a fairly successful startup company.
My best friend from high school left IT around 2000 and is a successful kitchen and bathroom salesman who claims he's making more money now than ever.
Most of my friends who seem to be happy and making enough money to survive are managers and directors for startup companies or universities. They are just above the technical level to avoid the burnout of having to relearn everything you need to know for your career every 4 years, but deep enough into it to provide the right direction for those are constantly studying to stay ahead and compete.
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I know the trapped feeling. I have a mortgage that's been refinanced twice, 2 car payments, a wife and 2 kids that occasionally need food and shelter to survive, etc. Right before the economy went south, I went from being an $80/hour independent consultant that demanded respect within the IT field at every company I've done work for, to a 5 figure salary low man on the totem pole at a Fortune 500 answering to a boss that sees me as a commodity on a team of 20 people. I have creditors and tax collectors beating down my door every day. I've already taken over 40% in pay cuts in the last 2 years. If you are in a similar position, there's no way out. Any career change would require an additional pay cut that would lead to losing your home, your cars, your COMPUTERS, your way of life. The only way out for would be to liquidate everything, sell off the house and cars, move into a low rent apartment or with a family member and reboot your life. Friends of mine have gotten out early. Here are a few interesting things that they've done: 2 different people went and got their Commercial Driver's Licenses and starting driving the big rigs. 1 former employee of mine moved in with his mother, went to nursing school and now is successful as an RN. 1 person and his brother, both in IT, went and took over their father's plumbing business. 1 interesting person bought a plot of land and went "Green Acres" and built a nature preserve. He eventually came back to IT after taking a break and is the CTO for a fairly successful startup company. My best friend from high school left IT around 2000 and is a successful kitchen and bathroom salesman who claims he's making more money now than ever. Most of my friends who seem to be happy and making enough money to survive are managers and directors for startup companies or universities. They are just above the technical level to avoid the burnout of having to relearn everything you need to know for your career every 4 years, but deep enough into it to provide the right direction for those are constantly studying to stay ahead and compete.