if you willing to move to NY metro area, you can make much more than 50-60K a year. The bad news is that those companies are moving IT jobs off shore.  We do not know how long the good pay can last. They can hire 4 people in India with the money they pay you here. That is how I was laid off in 2002. :(

I started using J2EE at the very beginning, back in 1999.  Drop me a line if you want to discuss anything.