<prompt> Human: I worked four years at my last job and Im 29. My wife is a housewife and I have a 4-yo. This January my old employer has ceased wage adjustment on the staff and the company was going out of business gradually. I asked my boss what his plan was and how I could do better. He was being vague. He couldnt even promise a number. Being seriously concerned about my own career, I quit.I do CC coding on embedded Linux. I guess this industry was growing fast in China like, a decade ago? Anyway, not many embedded device developers can go higher than 40Kyr here. A waitress here earns about 7Kyr, FYI. Internet is trending like crazy. An entry level position of server deployment can easily earn more than 40Kyr. I tried to get a job in that field but was turned down after some interviews. Apparently they dont want an inexperienced, 29 years old guy, although I stated that I was willing to start as an internship. After two weeks of job hunting, I took a job in the same industry. Yeah, embedded Linux again. Its a 25Kyr job.On my first week, I was really frustrated. Everyone here is working overtime. The official work hours is 9 to 6. But they make you check in before 8:30 and you can see PLs going to a meeting at 8 pm. Sometimes when Im about to fall asleep on my bed, my phone still beeps and its someone at work discussing with each other. I feel like I dont have a life anymore. Moreover, with no free time at work, I cant learn new skills. My code quality is good. I have shallow understanding of Linux. But do I know TCP? No. Database? No. AndroidiOS? No.Im worried about my next stop. Say, what if I work here for a few years and I have to go for a better job? It scares me that all my knowledge gained here will only be useful if I stay, that this industry is going down hill and I still lack the knowledge for another grossing industry.Dear rPF, what do you think?TL;DR: Mediocre software developer stuck in a low-yielding industry. Too old to start over.  <response>: Never too old to start over. Just gotta figure out how to make it work... Maybe that means putting an hour a day into learning app development, even if it means losing sleep. Remember, this job is only a stepping stone. You have greater things ahead. 