Indy's questions are wise. Definitely start there, but I 100% agree that happiness is most important.

My story is convoluted, to put it mildly. The shortened version is that I was burnt out in retail management so I quit, sold all my 'stuff' and moved into my parent's garage apartment in FL when I was 29. I got a bartending licence to give me something to do (and income) while I figured out what I wanted to do next. I started school to take some math courses because I thought I wanted an MBA and I'd previously been rejected from some top programs for no 'proven math abilities'. Turns out, I liked math and was good at it. That led to more classes which eventually led to a second bachelor's degree (my first was in Sociology) in electrical engineering and then a masters in the same field. Now I'm a product engineer (after work as a systems engineer for a DoD contractor) for a company that makes components for wireless devices.

Initially I was happy with the change, but now I'm not so sure. I do make way more money than I used to and I am also with a company that is doing extremely well even through the resession. I have job stability that I never could have even dreamed of having in retail. I also work 'regular' hours for the most part - again something that doesn't happen in retail. My husband's job situation is similiar to mine (stability, strong company, same pay/benefits, etc). The problem is that I don't really like my job and I also don't really see a way out of it. There is nothing else that I can just jump into that will pay what I make now unless I stay on a technical track. I no longer want to be technical. Turns out, I don't like it...never did. It's another long story, but basically I chose my field because it was challenging to me and at the time, I needed challenge (since retail was trying, but not intellictually difficult) so I thought I was making a smart choice. Wrong. Word of advice, don't EVER choose a career based on your experiences at a previous one that was totally unrelated!

Anyway, now I'm financially trapped. It's kind of funny to say that since we are both doing really well right now, but we also don't really have the option to cut back - at least not enough to make a new career feasable for me. We can cut back and save more, or cut back and take minor pay cuts...but we cannot swing an entire career change and in this economy (and at our advanced ages), we aren't just willing to take stupid chances like that.

So here I sit - killing time at a sucky job with a great company and waiting until opportunity strikes. It KILLS me because I'm a firm believer in a person's responsibility to make their own happiness. I guess you could say that I'm giving up my career happiness in order to keep my personal (farm) happiness. If we just sold everything and moved into an apartment in town, we could afford a career change - but that would be trading something I know makes me/us happy for a possible chance at happiness and that's not necessarily smart either...

Wow, sorry to have rambled on so much! My only advice - really, really think through all the scenarios before making life-altering decisions. That, and don't burn bridges...just in case.