What area? I've mostly quit software because of how much I hate working on complete garbage and also don't have the schooling/engineering skills to work on truly cool stuff. Pivoted to wood working.
Funny, I know a guy who was did woodworking (and construction) that pivoted to software.
I worked with him on a consulting project used by nearly 30 million people, great dude and great experience.
On the other hand, I didn't have an engineering degree, and worked on software for a major bank, and then a consulting company where I worked with ex-construction worker.
I found a gig on a team at another company where I make 40% more. The team I work on has zero real customers at this point, and we're doing real interesting stuff. We plan on converting our customer base over to the work my team has done, but that's still in the works.
Anyway, I think schooling isn't as important as people may think. You can learn some really cool and cutting edge things if you put your mind to it. And if those skills are marketable (not necessarily valuable, although companies might think so), you can get jobs utilizing those skills.
Tinkering with the tech you're interested in can be a good way to get into a position working on that piece of tech. It might not always work out, but it's worth a shot if you really want a fulfilling and interesting job in that area.
Been in the industry for over a decade most of which was in fintech, some in crypto. I don't count any of that as "cool". I've still got some years left because it's good money but eventually I want to pivot to wood working. I started working on my own apps this year and it's much more enjoyable.
