Title: I&#x27;ve been programming for 20 years, the last 12 in ASP.net webforms (I know, I know). In every job, I&#x27;ve been told I was the top dev at the company. I kept my current job because of the money and flexibility they gave me to stay, but now that working here isn&#x27;t worth it anymore, I&#x27;m feeling that remaining in this job has soured my career. I&#x27;m not sure where to go from here.<p>I&#x27;ve held management positions, and while my projects were successful, I&#x27;m not interested there. The monotonous consulting-services work I&#x27;ve been doing for the last 5+ years hasn&#x27;t lent itself to exploring new technologies, so I don&#x27;t have the breadth for an architect job. I&#x27;ve tried the solo-business route, and while my app is loved and has sold copies, it&#x27;s only breaking even and won&#x27;t sustain me now.<p>Almost all of the jobs I am interested in (remote or product-based) want newer technology. SQL Server&#x27;s been a big part of my entire career, but it feels like that is losing relevance with the ORMs&#x2F;EFs of the world. I&#x27;ve only worked with MVC on personal projects, but even if I brushed up on it, I&#x27;m guessing managers would feel I am an expensive hire without any advantage a junior dev who worked with MVC their whole career.<p>Do I try to build a MVC portfolio, since that seems to be the popular MS technology? Or work on a JS portfolio (my web style today is already JS calling JSON services) and try to rebuild myself on the front end?<p>Do I take a big pay cut and try to rebuild my skills with a company open to a senior dev without the exact experience?<p>Do I try to gamble and find myself a newer technology to reinvent myself into, hoping it sticks around?<p>Or am I just at the natural point in my career where I&#x27;m supposed to be working for another services company?<p>Anyone refactor themselves into something new at a similar point in their career? I&#x27;d love to hear your advice.
RefactorCareer@gmail.com in case you have any private advice.
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