I'm like your acquaintance. Did mechanical engineering, worked for a few years and realized the jobs around here doing mech eng kinda suck and the pays bad. In

I'm like your acquaintance. Did mechanical engineering, worked for a few years and realized the jobs around here doing mech eng kinda suck and the pays bad. In software now and sure, it's not hands on as much as I'd like but I earn enough money now to live comfortably and work on my own projects at home in my free time. For me it was a priority shift. Earn more so I can provide for my family better and then use the rest to work on modest projects as hobbies. Or earn less so I can work on mechanical projects but not be able to provide the quality of life for my family I'd like.