It depends on what you want to do. Me, I really like cryptography, for now; I accepted a one-year contract at sub-market rates (i.e. the usual PhD salary) to work in that field.
There are, perhaps, five or six employers in the Netherlands who employ crypto researchers, and these people didn't actually have an opening. I admit that it's not the best job from a business perspective (little job security, highly specialized knowledge, sub-market salary) but I really like it.
(Of course, a "Django guru" or "C++ wizard" has a lot more options and might want to use a different strategy...)
There are, perhaps, five or six employers in the Netherlands who employ crypto researchers, and these people didn't actually have an opening. I admit that it's not the best job from a business perspective (little job security, highly specialized knowledge, sub-market salary) but I really like it.
(Of course, a "Django guru" or "C++ wizard" has a lot more options and might want to use a different strategy...)