Several days ago, I went to dinner with my direct manager, who is a very nice guy.
During dinner, he asked me what I am learning these days.
"C++ coding standards, and a little Linux src."
"Great. If it helps, I suggest that you should study Multi-Threading/Multi-Core Programming, and the Virtualization Technology. These two techs are & will be very hot. Plus, these two are no related to special computer architecture."
This kind of guidance has influenced me quite a lot. I've took it : )