I keep going back to my response and feeling it's a bit insufficient. A lot of thoughts are going through my mind when I think about career re-engineering and moving away from one career to another. This isn't a simple problem!
Some thoughts/questions:
- Are you sure this isn't a case of "the grass being greener" on the other side?
- Can you lower the risk of making a big career switch by checking it out before you change? Do it as a hobby, go to art fairs, volunteer with a stained glass artist, etc.
- Is this a reaction to feeling your mortality because of some of the medical issues you've had with your sister and Mr Lixy? If yes, will you feel different in 6 months?
- Do you have some time to do informational interviews with people who are in jobs that interest you? Call them, interview them to figure out the good, bad, and ugly of that profession.
- Do you need to do this new thing full-time, or can you do it as a hobby?
- Is a career change the source of your quandry, or is there a bigger question/issue you need to solve?
No offense meant...but these are some of the questions I ask myself and I thought they might be valuable to you.
Good luck!