Being a programmer in Southwest Florida has been quite a journey. We are not exactly the most cutting-edge region of the United States, so any time when you read about "technology jobs on the upswing", it doesn't really apply to us. With the recession cracking us hard, I was quite apprehensive when my then girlfriend, Jill, suggested we start a web development business. I've been involved in a couple of startups in the past few years, some of which had great potential in much better economic times, all of which went bust.

In my experience as a programmer and database guy, I've worked for large corporations and developed applications for companies with the big budget. But Jill had a good idea. We need to cater to the businesses on a budget. The businesses that are struggling, the businesses that have never thought of having a web site, and businesses that don't see the need for it. These people need applications and web sites in 2010 in order to survive. My contribution to her idea--I will learn about C.M.S.'s. Content Management Systems. Joomla, Wordpress, Drupal, etc. Ready-made professionally programmed sites and applications that can be customized with a low overhead. 

So far, so VERY good!