Stay far, far away from any HR types--they have no real skills and think they run the world.
truer words were never spoken
HR is a pox upon productivity.
Nothing is gauranteed anymore, no matter how good you did on your last project, it means nothing now.
Get used to it.
Save lots.
It's harder for older IT people, sorry, but the bias is there. After 50, it's pretty much impossible to get a good job in IT (sure, it exists, but it's hard)
Think about changing careers by 50.
Ok, this is going to come across snotty and I don't mean it too. But i'm a hiring IT manager and I read in your letter that you want a company to take care of you for 15/20 years. That attitude comes across in interviews. Get the attitude that you are the best at what you do (whatever it is) and that you could be employed tomorrow because you are so good.
Those people get kept on (of course, they have to really be good too), those people get raises, etc. Be irreplacable and know and project it.
Just my advice, worth what you paid for it.
But expect to move on every little bit nowadays.
I genuinely appreciate the advice. Couple of thoughts on it: I'm currently 44, that's why I want to get "embedded", if you will, before hitting the big 50.