Ok, so I graduated about a year and a half ago. In college days I used to be really good (and keen) on C/C++. I've even done some multithreading and socket programming in C. Created networked GUI apps for linux using GTK etc.

Now,I've been working since I graduated and well, let's say, I've been stereotyped with .net. That's all I have experience with in these years (Vb.net,asp.net,javascript). I'm pretty comfortable with all of the above and also SQL server.

a)Cutting to the chase, I've begun to notice how .net jobs don't seem to pay all that well as Java. Jobs seeking similar number of yrs of experience offer almost twice for java developers. Does it mean I should consider switching?

b)My heart still goes out for C. As a surrogate I've tried working with VC++ 6.0 (I know they aren't the same!). I've tried my hand with DDK,SDK,COM etc. Should I try finding jobs there or am I too inexperienced. Somehow, I can't find any openings for C. Where are they? Sometimes I get frustrated and feel that maybe I should just go for MS or something. Possibly that'll help me in landing with 'fatter paying jobs' in the field that I wish to work.