If you haven't before, consider technical blue collar work. It pays well and is underappreciated by many. Anecdote: I live in Florida. A years ago, when I was

If you haven't before, consider technical blue collar work. It pays well and is underappreciated by many. Anecdote: I live in Florida. A years ago, when I was starting to get my foothold in computer security and cryptography, several of my friends began transitioning from minimum-wage restaurant work to working in HVAC. (For installs, piece work is better than hourly.) Even as a helper, their wages rose from $9/hour (dish pit) to $300 per install (typically one install per day, sometimes two if they're smaller jobs), which for a typical 8 hour shift is congruent to about $37/hour. Most days, they left at or just before dawn but were home for lunch, which is 4-5 hours. (Occasionally they'd have a late evening, but most homeowners and gated communities don't like workers staying past 5 PM.) Last year (almost to the day), my friends started their own HVAC company. (They would have sooner, but you need four years of supervised work to even qualify for the state certification test.) They drew enough business to be self-sustaining in their first quarter. (Remember, though, this is Florida; I don't imagine the same demand would be felt in Alaska.) The secret sauce to running a successful HVAC company in a state with a warm climate is surprisingly simple, and the bar is very low: Don't be a scumbag. Don't try to sell people things they don't actually need, especially a unit when their existing one doesn't need replacing. Often, they encounter customers that need a new capacitor (less than $200 of parts and labor) or a drain line cleaned for a 3 year old air conditioner, but other companies wanted them to fork over $10,000 for a new unit. More bluntly: Don't be a Louis Bruno. https://winknews.com/2022/07/05/state-reaches-a-deal-with-bruno-total-air-performance-some-customers-could-get-refunds/ https://winknews.com/2022/07/05/state-reaches-a-deal-with-br... It's depressing but the most basic business ethics put you in a class of your own compared to a lot of your competition, but that's the world today. (There are some obvious comparisons to other, more white-collar industries here, of course.) Trust is the currency of every business, whether they realize it or not. There are fertile lands waiting to be tilled in this respect. Having integrity has a high up-front cost (harder sales pitches), but is better in the long-term for your community. This is all to say: If I had to leave my computer job, I'd study HVAC and work with my friends. (I helped get their business off the ground, as their only investor, so I'd already be more than welcome.) There are a lot of technical blue collar jobs out there (and not all are hard on your body like construction). It's important work; everyone needs running water, electricity, and running toilets. Everyone in cold climates needs a viable way to heat their home. Everyone in warm climates needs a viable way to cool their home. Many people need both.