brianjester

You need either an e-product (e-book, course, membership site with private forums, etc.) or a real product (your consulting time $400/h, a quality product you buy wholesale (from distributer here or from factory via Alibaba) and sell via FBA (Fulfilled By Amazon) through a sales page on your site. (no inventory at your home). You can also generate affiliate sales revenue through product demos, videos, recommendations and a "resources" page on your site, which are affiliate links.

LostPhD,

Consider cultivating your programming side by working on an open source project, by helping to maintain code, implement fixes etc., in a language that you like, and don't quit your day job until you have something you want lined up. In the meanwhile, keep improving in whatever area you do research in even if it's not programming. You're memory I'm sure is not weak, but you're rusty with the specifics of that interview question, that is not a poor reflection on your character. Hang in there and work on incremental improvements in the different areas you care about.

Brian