This is a question for those of you that don't live in a major city, or anywhere that has a population remotely clued up.<p>I live in an area in the UK that I can only describe as a 'technology backwater'. I see a few iPhones around (but I would guess most people struggle to use them), I've never seen an Android phone here although I do see a lot of £10 pay&go specials. I can count the number of 'decent' developers in the area on one hand.<p>A few people have tried running different types of meetups, etc... but, at most, 5 people have ever turned up.<p>One the one hand, it's easy to differentiate yourself from the rest, get freelance work, etc. It's kind of an easy gig.<p>On the other hand, there's no one to chat to, challenge yourself, or use for motivation to improve. It makes it difficult to 'talk shop' with anyone... the closest you get is "how can I get a website setup?", which as you can imagine gets boring pretty quickly.<p>The same can be said for business issues.<p>Does anyone else have a similar experience? How do you deal with it?
@avalore: What, if I may ask, is stopping you from getting the hell out of there? I have faced similar experiences,albeit far back in history, and in a non-technocratic context, and managed to overcome them. In fact, I once again feel the urge to move on, and am faced with questions similar to yours.
Nothing beats being in a thriving, vibrant intellectual live environment - not even being wired in to the Nobel Corps -and yet being top-dog of nowhere.
Pardon the bluntness - it is not intended to discourage or discredit. However, calling a spade a spade has always been a good starting point for me.
Cheers!
<i>Does anyone else have a similar experience? How do you deal with it?</i><p>Move. No joke. There no substitute for a place where there are actual opportunities. I'm going to Edinburgh.