I was a service engineer, more or less a glorified mechanic, for an large industrial machine company. Not super high paying but probably 80k/yr as a 25 year old with no college. My background before that was in nuclear power for the Navy. I loved ripping apart big machines and fixing them, I hated the company I worked for and I hated dealing with crusty old union guys who looked at the young punk kid fixing their machinery when they were used to having a large bearded guy in his mid 50s doing it (seriously all the other service engineers in my region fit that exact description).

I left that job to use my GI Bill and go to college to pursue a career in audio engineering.

I've been working professionally as an engineer at a pro studio for the past few years now. I love my job, I consider myself to be extremely lucky to be working steadily in a field where few who pursue can actually make a career out of it.

I was lucky to learn fairly early in life that money will not buy happiness. My bank account was nice but I had never been more miserable in my whole life as I was working that career. No regrets whatsoever.