I'm looking for some advice from the Elphas as I have been torturing myself thinking / trying to find the courage to swicth my career in my 30s.

My career decisions have always been based on financial stability and prestige, not happiness / passion. Now after almost 10 years in 'corporate life' I'm seriously looking to go back and get my masters to become a school counselor or mental health counselor. It's been one of the things I told myself I would do if "money didn't matter" and after years of battling chronic depression and anxiety, I keep thinking I need to pull the trigger to think about making some real changes.

My fear is not just the financials, but also self-doubt on whether I'm cut out for this new role. All I know is I feel the most fulfilled when I am helping people and I see my 1:1 impact. In my prior roles, my favorite aspects of my job was coaching co-workers through their marketing plans and I did some tutoring with kids with special needs in college, which I think was one of the happiest, most fulfilling time of my life.

But reality hits me... post-graduate debt, having to relearn how to study, accepting that my new career path salary with be half of what I am making today, and of course, fear that I was just wrong about everything to find out the Reality of this new career does not give me the joy I thought it would. Then I would have wasted time & money only to be back to square one.

Any advice from other Elphas who had / are going through a similar challenge?

also, apologies for the brain dump. I just woke up and felt the need to write this post before my coffee. 💕💕💕