A summary of my thoughts that I shared with you.

2 years in Commission processing is less valuable than 2 years in
front-office trading; x years experience in threading is more valuable
than x years with … XML or Cognos or Perl or …. I keep a mental list
of high-value skills. I will try to stay close to these hot areas.
“Hot” is different from “mainstream”.

Even though some back office positions may pay more, I need to keep a
long term view and try to stay in front office.

Even though some hedge funds may pay more, I should probably stay with
big reputable banks. When job market declines, I need the big names to
establish my resume.

I appreciate your comment that I might be suitable for a tech lead
when I go back to S’pore.

I had better take on C++ or C# in order to compete.