Changing careers at 8 years into a job, is it realistic? - any advice?

After 8 years as an electrician's helper I am thinking about moving into a different field. I have a little time and a small budget for training. Did you take a pay cut?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.

Try a small project in the new field before committing. It told me a lot about whether I would enjoy it.