...and by comparable I mean in the same field or niche, in the same position, and with the same benefits.

I am really ready to leave. In addition to looking for a better job (more $$ and higher level of satisfaction) in my same field of technical writing and editing, I am starting to look for positions in a different field (that still utilize my same skills, though) and possibly with fewer hours (25-30 per week) so that I can use that extra time to try different things, and as importantly, consider what career niche might be best for me (for example, I currently write about products I don't use, to an audience I am not part of...I realize that this isn't fulfilling to me at all).

It's basically a time-money tradeoff: more time for me to try my hand at different activities, network in my field (I am a member of my field's professional organization), do some volunteer work, continue looking for a better Career (full time, full benefits, etc).

The obvious risk is that I might be without insurance, or at most, with very high deductible disaster health coverage.
I would also have less money coming in to send to 401K, Roth IRA, etc. And possibly, though less likely, that some future hiring managers would think poorly of my voluntarily leaving my field and taking an unrelated career position (to which I'd reply something to the effect that the unexamined life is not worth living)--I hear that this attitude is less common, especially given how most people switch jobs every 3-5 years or so.

Bottom line though is that I am DONE in my mind where I am now, and feel like I am starting to phone it in. There's lots of work on the horizon, and I am not motivated to do it, or be a go getter. Even though I am in excellent health, I'm 42, so the issue of healthcare is one of the main factors keeping me here.

I don't see myself happy or even okay with staying here for however many months (or a year?) that it might take me to find my dream job, or something resembling it (i.e., a technical writer at Google). Hence the idea of stepping back and taking something outside my niche (which is technical and marketing writing). I'm currently applying to non-profit and newspaper reporter openings.

Have others here left a profession and taken a step back, working fewer hours in a different field, in part to figure out what you might want to do?

If so, what were the advantages, the drawbacks, any unexpected discoveries (either good or bad), and the outcome? And are there any folks who have done this only to be unable to regain the career momentum necessary to land another good full-time career?

PS- I have enough savings that I'm not living paycheck to paycheck, and my cost of living expenses, now at least b/c of work benefits, are quite low. But I wouldn't want to live off of savings, so having some kind of employment is a given.

Thanks for any input on this.

Go over to the dark side of the force. Get a job in Editing and Acquisitions with a publisher. If you really want it relaxed and quiet, make it a university's publishing house. Academic publishing is the cushiest, least stressful job in the world and pays out of all proportion for the work you actually do. They're non-profit, so they don't care if anything ever gets done. The pace is like living with a head full of tranquilizers.

Writers suffer. In Editing and Acquisitions, you can sit back with your feet up and make god-like decisions as you pencil-whip somebody else's manuscript and laugh maniacally about how the author will react to your changes.

It pays well, no pressure to speak of, and you can mess with somebody else's writing for a change. With your background in technical writing, somebody will pick you up out there. Get your curriculum vitae (résumé) together and hurl it at every publisher on the planet. You'll find one who'll take you. Probably more than one.

Then you too can torture authors for money, LOL!

Cheers!

Rick...

Crack Dealin' is where it's at. Pick a good corner-location,location,location. Be your own boss-flexible hours.

This how you financed your Atari..err, Airbus, type rating, Wireman?

It's not like they paid much at the Regionals...and you're right; those Type ratings don't grow on trees.

Sauron, I'll look into that.

Any other actual serious thoughts, not that I don't enjoy wisecracks :-)

Well. leaving a job without having another job in this economic climate is risky.
But, if you do intend to try something different, do it now before you get married or have kids.

You're obviously not happy with the current line of work, so try different things. Mix up your
social circle too - to maybe mingle with folks who do what you think you might like just to get
more insight.

Go for it man!

My humble insight.
Keep your current job until you've secured what you are really looking for. Especially nowadays
Happened to me a couple of times before and although I "hated" my current job, the simple fact of seriously looking for an alternative made my hated job much easier to take until I quit.
It's our brain messing us up. Seriously look around and land some interviews. The "hated" job instantly becomes a piece of cake.

Mind you, I've always been in ad agency, so I knew i would get more or less the same bs, just different accounts to manage.

Cheers,
Slug

Leaving my current job without ANYTHING lined up isn't my first choice...but leaving sooner than later, even if what I get isn't at the same level in terms of time and benefits is an option I am seriously considering.

Good advice re: interviewing elsewhere. I am currently applying places, and am going to begin networking through the local chapter of my professional society.

It was hard for me to post that, but it's true, LOL! It's a great job. I've never been an editor, I've always been the author, and I've seen editors as the devil with a blue pencil ever since I sold my first work.

But, I ended up marrying an editor, and I have to admit that her job is terrific. Mrs. Sauron says it's the best job she's ever had and she's had some good ones.

But I'm still (and always will be) a writer. So I still cast a suspicious eye on any editors I encounter, despite the fact that I married one.

With your background, you'd probably be surprised at your opportunities. And once you get some years under your belt in editing, you can stay home and do it in your pajamas and they still pay you well.

Cheers!

Rick...