I recently left a field engineer position with a major telco gear maker to take on a more secure position with the largest cable company in the US. The paycut was massive, but it provided me with a permanent position that was not on an annual renewal basis. The new position involves exposure to new leading edge technology, as opposed to supporting a decade old switch. My advice to anyone else out there is make sure you are "recycling" your skills so that you stay above the commodity curve. Otherwise, you will find your job being offshored. Stay ahead of the mainstream talents. And please, please - forget the stock options. Greed can kill and ultimately put you in a worse situation that the intial "i'm rich" one.