2000 GLX epc light and engine workshop message

i have a 2000 jetta glx (vr-6 5-spd) with about 87,000 miles on it. i had an epc light along with an engine workshop message a few thousand miles ago but a couple days after getting it i misshifted and the rpms soared, to my surprise the light and message went away now about 3,000 miles later the light and message is back. this time it has come with degraded performance although there is no noticeable engine problems. overall the car just seems sluggish compared to before i got the light. the first time i didn't notice any performance difference. reading the other forums it sounds like this light will show up for almost anything but i'm hoping somebody might give me a starting point. thanks to all who can help me out.

as far as the mileage goes i would say you probalbly have at least a faulty ect.

but it could be many of things, theres hundreds of codes that can be set

thanks for your reply veedub, i went to autozone and tried to pull codes but it was coming up that it was clean. i disconnected the battery and cleaned up the terminals which had some superficial corrosion on them and it reset the epc light, but then when i took it out on a test drive, the first time i did a fast acceleration it popped back up again. i haven't been back to see if i'd get a code since then. i'm kinda at a loss here and i'm afraid i might have developed a dummy light or something. either way i'll have to keep plugging away at it because i refuse to take it to a dealer and pay a hundred bucks an hour to do the same thing i am