My biggest problem with this thinking, similar to prevous poster, is the kind of grey smear transition area between careers.
Here's my case, advice always welcome:
1. Have day job, tech support. Started it when couldn't make ends meet as a pianist 10 years ago and trying to build nest for potential mate - friend in tech business remembers my geek hobbies and helps me find a job. Turns into career.
2. Here I am, 10 years later. Mate cheats and leaves (
) so I'm single with no kids. I discover improv and comedy, and start pursuing that. For the sake of discussion (and apologizing for ego, but it saves time) assume I am brilliant at it. Doing small shows, writing comedy, etc.
3. Current tech job is awful - underpaid from market, company is dysfunctional, multiple layers of clueless management. However time at current job combined with excellent work output from me means I have a lot of flexibility with time, anyway, even if underpaid and misreable.
I feel like I'm at the point where I'm putting in the max amount of effort at my performing career due to a 9 hour a day day-job. I'm usually in a running show, I write. I don't do *enough* work to truly spotlight me enough to make enough money at it to quit.
So what are my transition options?
I can stay at the current job, knowing I am leaving, and work harder at my performance career job? Its very hard to stay motivated after a full day job.
I can quit my day job, making me jobless?
I can quit my day job and switch to a easier-stress, easier-hours job like a temp, at the cost of sacrificing 2/3'rd of my income?
I think - and if you aren't addressing this in a blogpost, maybe you can someday - that the transition between careers is the single hardest aspect of changing. Do you just suffer even harder then you already are to make the switch? Because the threat of pain for that kind of suffering is a major factor in making the change. What if the new job requires 3 years of full-time night school? That's hard to just leap into.