Change is Okay, but it comes in more ways than one (Score 1)

Dude, I know how you feel. But you need to face reality. Any career you shift to will require you to: a) Start from the bottom of the ladder b) Take a huge paycut (or spend $$$ going back to school) c) Require you to significantly alter your lifestyle. I know several buddies who have left the IT world. One opened his own industrial cleaning service, another Joined the FBI, both couldn't be happier. As for the guy who suggested studying bioinformatics - I looked into that personally, and as it turns out, the market is mature enough that they really want biologists with some computer skills, and not IT folks with a little bit of Bio. My best advice - work in IT for a different industry or company.