Everybody at my old company was laid after 50, flexible hours: full-time, part-time, on-call, and working 40 hours a week in a cubicle gets really old.
I'm 35...I've too considered nursing or PA for the same reason. I know I'm "young" but the writing is on the wall for the age bias.
Nursing/PA is decent pay, always work opportunities, can't get outsourced (easily). You also don't have BS job interviews. If you have updated certifications and aren't an ass... Hired! You also get continuation education too!
I also like that it's hourly. The hospital needs you for OT? More money. As you get older and have more money, less expenses you can choose to work less and enjoy free time. Unless you are freelance or consulting, software doesn't have that flexibility.
>flexible hours: full-time, part-time, on-call, and working 40 hours a week in a cubicle gets really old.
Counterpoints (if in the US):
Capitalism is a real thing. If you work in a hospital you will be pushed to the point where things are unsafe for the patient, and if something goes wrong, you will be blamed and lose your license. A culture exists where everyone tries to cover their ass.
If you work as a contractor (i.e. you work for a firm that sends you to different hospitals based on shortages), you will be the first person to be blamed.
Unlike in tech, seniority is the main way to get better salaries and benefits. You won't get too far by performing really well.
The attitudes and behavior of fellow coworkers (nurses and nurse assistants) would be considered quite unprofessional in a typical engineering workplace.
Depending on which unit you work, patients can be horrible. You'll get all kinds of attitudes. Psychopaths, etc.
"James Collins, a research manager in the NIOSH Division of Safety Research, says before studying back injuries among nursing employees, he focused on auto factory workers. His subjects were "93 percent men, heavily tattooed, macho workforce, Harley-Davidson rider type guys," he says. "And they were prohibited from lifting over 35 pounds through the course of their work."
Nursing employees in a typical hospital lift far heavier patients a dozen or more times every day.
"That was my biggest shock and surprise," Collins says. "And the big deal is, the injuries are so severe that for many people, they're career-ending.""
(Experience will vary with what type of nursing you work - some nursing is a lot milder - but pays less).
