...I too have considered leaving the IT field, but maybe not for the same reasons as you.
I am 40 years old, been in the business for 15 years. Am looking for employment in another province and am not having any luck. I am getting tired of the conditions of working in IT and I am contemplating doing something else.
But I haven't switched yet, because I haven't been able to find something that I like that pays as much as IT. Do we have low pay in IT? Absolutely not. We are payed very well in IT. We do work like dogs to get that wage, but that's just part of the business. I understand and accept that IT is an off hour job and it will require sacrifice. An I worried about constant unemployment? Yes, but then again, who isn't these days. Times are tough for everyone buddy. As far as that one is concerned, I agree with my colleagues, suck it up.
Working in IT is not always rosy, but we all knew that when we got in. Cops can get shot, fireman get burned, electrician can get electrocuted, we all have our share of issues with our jobs. Now, unlike my colleagues here, I do understand that one can get tired of the pace, the long hours, the fear, the constant battles. But all those things are about you, not the field itself. If YOU are tired of being in IT then YOU need to change, not IT.
You either take it or don't. But if you decide to take it, you need to take it all, the good, the bad and the ugly.
IT is like golf. You either like it or you don't. Its not for everyone. Sometimes it can be darn right frustrating enough to want to throw your clubs away. But if you decide you do, don't say you miss it later.
TCB
Edited for typos