Considering switching from tech to healthcare am I crazy?
I am 29 years old with 7 years full time experience as a SWE located in the US. I’m considering switching to healthcare. My last straw was about a week ago that I got news of half my team being let go and having to take on extra work with no warning or promotion (even though I’m about a year overdue for that). I’ve experienced layoffs myself in the past, being part of the 20k or so FAANG employees who got laid off in 2023. I took about a 40% pay cut and moved to something that I thought would be more stable but now about 1/5th of the devs in my industry have been laid off in the last 2 years. It’s getting worse with AI.
When I was choosing colleges about a decade ago, I was stuck between healthcare and tech. I chose tech because it seemed like the more lucrative thing to do at the time. I regretted it immediately because I hated coding but didn’t try to change majors (sunken cost fallacy). Every job I’ve had since then has felt more and more soul crushing. Even the jobs I get interviews for these days are more and more morally abhorrent in my eyes (defense contractors, AI data center startups). I don’t even see postings in my area for regular old tech jobs. I’ve realized I can’t spend the next 35 years feeling this way.
I signed up for some pre-requisite science courses at my local cc and signed up for a weekend volunteering gig at a local hospital to get some idea of what a healthcare career entails. I spoke with some of my nurse friends to get their insight as well and they said pretty mixed things. I’m still holding onto my tech job as long as I can but I’m thinking of going back to school for nursing or maybe perfusion. Most of my friends and family think I’m insane. My father is a SWE of 30 years and he can’t believe anyone would switch out of the industry (he’s retired though). Can anyone provide me with more insight? Any other research I can do besides speaking to people/volunteering to get a better idea?
I’m not a rash person so I’m not taking this lightly in the slightest. I understand the burnout rates in healthcare and that the pay cap is lower. I’m just trying to weigh my options! Thanks!!!