Sorry if what I'm about to say is rude, please file that under me being ignorant rather malicious.
Given your struggles to get a job and your very valuable experience, what's holding you back from going as a contractor / setting up your own shop?
Given your struggles to get a job and your very valuable experience, what's holding you back from going as a contractor / setting up your own shop?
Heck, to the right client, that one i860 or C80 programmer might be worth gold. Either that, or just do a highly competent job at embedded programming generally.
Can't afford to live in the US anymore but Mexico is working out pretty well.