I decided in my mid-30's I wanted to work on energy, so after some career manoeuvring I found a job working in the IT dept of a renewable energy company. I was

I decided in my mid-30's I wanted to work on energy, so after some career manoeuvring I found a job working in the IT dept of a renewable energy company. I was there two years, and would have stayed longer, but the salary wasn't that competitive and with my large family I ended up returning to contract work. (Towards the end pretty much all of my salary was going to our monthly costs, I had nothing left). I don't regret doing this at all. I feel like I contributed (not for as long as I'd have liked to), and I learned tons of stuff working there. I think AI is also pretty interesting as something that "should be worked on", and the pay is possibly also better than it is in the energy sector.