You have reached a place that is difficult to inhabit. It's what I call the "What do you want to be when you grow up?" place.

If you are 23, making good bucks as a programmer and don't think you have any farther to climb, then you are ready for a little groundbreaking.

IMHO what I think may be helpful to you is to find out what you LOVE and do it. I love to make music. How do I know I love to make music? I forget about things. Things like going to the bathroom, eating and sleeping. I love playing (use that term loosely please)with computers.

look here please

I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I have been a network administrator. A developer. A QA analyst. A phone tech support drone. A repair tech. An assembler in a computer factory.(ZEOS) I don't regret a minute of it because it was computers. The greatest tool that man has ever invented. The thing that will make the paradigm "Do more by doing less" a reality. I just love computers!

My computer at home is a digital studio where I create masterpieces of music. I love computers AND music!

I don't know what the future holds for me, but I am excited by that mystery.

Maybe YOU can help ME. Should I compose all of my music on the computer and distribute it solely over the Internet? Should I press CD's of my masterpieces and let them rot in my basement? Should I try to find all the combinations of notes and copyright them all? Should I go to a maintenance company and become a janitor?

1. What fires up your soul to change mankind?
2. What inspires you?
3. What makes you forget about going to the bathroom, eating and sleeping?

If you do what you love the money will follow! However in the meantime you may have children to feed or a house to pay for or some other financial obligations. What can you do that is tolerable?

Just like a development project a plan is neccessary. Have you thought about what you want and how you intend to get it? Have you prioritized your life?

All the questions I ask are because there is only one person responsible for you, and that is you.

I hope that this rant has sparked a different viewpoint from which to solve your problem.

Good luck Amigo!