I think there are great and shitty jobs in every industry. Switching to tech isn't necessarily a silver-bullet, there are more than a few soul-crushing tech job

I think there are great and shitty jobs in every industry. Switching to tech isn't necessarily a silver-bullet, there are more than a few soul-crushing tech jobs out there (think Office Space), and comparing-yourself with peers won't stop just because you switch industries. The feeling of needing to keep-up-with-the-Joneses is a pretty universal phenomenon. That being said, yes for your skillset you should be able to pull in a slightly higher salary soon (if not immediately). But I'd be very picky about what company you switch to. With many startups comes a very large amount of risk (the bank accounts of many startups will have less than 1% of the funds of your current employer). The hours will be insane, and it's quite possible that you'll never actually make any cool shit...or money. But that's all case-specific. Do your research on the particular organization you're thinking about joining, and make sure you love the people there, because you're gonna be spending a lot of time with them. If you'd like to wade in / test-the-waters, try to freelance on the side for awhile; or join a startup that isn't looking for a full-time commitment.