I've often thought about leaving IT over the past 5 years but find the industry something of a vicious circle in earnings. Annual above inflationary increases i

I've often thought about leaving IT over the past 5 years but find the industry something of a vicious circle in earnings. Annual above inflationary increases in earning seems to cause something akin to "Short-term pain, long-term gain". I can't personally reconcile how I'd go from $500k+ to an entry-level role in another field on <$50k and every time something frustrates me about the industry, the cold reality is it still feels smarter to milk these "golden years" and to sock away a lot towards quality of life in retirement. No longer needing to work from 40-45 and having a house paid off with 20+ years to learn a new trade, do whatever is interesting, or travel, that remains compelling to me. How have those who've left the industry managed with the substantial drop in compensation? Do you have families, retirement plans, all that stuff, and just decided you'd rather be A++ happy with less wealth, instead of B- happy whilst earning a lot?