Contemplating switching careers, seeking info

[Anonymous]

I am considering leaving my soul-sucking job and would like feedback from others who have changed careers lately. Are you happier since you switched or do you regret it? How hard was the transition? If you had to do it all over again, what would you change? What do you wish you knew before you took the leap?

I currently make a low 6-figure salary and have excellent benefits, but I hate my job and the company has been laying people off for years, so my position may disappear later this year. A little piece of my soul disappears every time I walk into my office. I am exhausted, rarely see my husband (work nights and weekends) and want to spend more time with my toddler. But the money and benefits are great and the economy isn't. I have been working on a little artistic side thing to preserve my sanity. If I can get a severance package, I intend to spend a few months trying to make that artistic thing blossom into a full-time career. The money wouldn't be as good initially, but I could spend more time with my family and do something that I love. Plus I am 38, so if I am going to switch careers, I feel like the time to jump ship is now. My husband has a government job that pays in the low-6 figures, so we could probably scrape by on his salary for a year. If things don't gel within a year, I would try to get some kind of job that brings in some money. We have socked away a good amount for retirement, and we anticipate receiving a government pension when my husband retires, but we just started putting money in a 529, so that would take the hit and of course we worry about the unknown. My head says, "you are crazy to consider this," but my heart says "life is short, go for it. The company is in trouble, you are going to get laid off at some point, you might as well control your own destiny."

If you have walked a mile in my shoes, I'd love to hear about your experiences (good and bad).

[Anonymous]

Can you dial down your job that you do now, and start ramping up your scrapbooking business? That way you keep one foot in the water and maybe work Mon-Wed or to Thursday at 1pm but get a solid chunk of time for your trips to Michaels. Then if it's no working, you can just look for a new job.

[Anonymous]

I think you should look for a different job in your field and meanwhile wait it out. If your job disappears, that would be great - you can take some time and spend some on your artistic pursuit. It doesn't sound like you have a viable career plan for the artistic pursuit, which is pretty much the nature of art (for example, if you are a writer, saying you'll write your novel over the course of a year is not going to lead to the equivalent of a 6-figure salary with benefits, or anything close - and that's assuming you actually complete it within a year, which is tight, and publish it, all unfortunately unlikely outcomes). The problem with quitting to do the art full time is that you have the money pressure so you know you have to go back in a finite time, and job hunting will suck up a tremendous amount of your psychic and physical energy during that period. It's really hard to time the getting of a job and if you know you will need one, better to start searching now. Good luck!