I transitioned away from a career in Biology for the exact same reasons you are bringing up. I was underpaid, and under appreciated. I realize it's not the same as moving away from IT, but there are probably some common parts to the experience.
I chose to work in upstream oil and gas. It's an industry here, and the strength of my B.Sc. got me a position that paid exactly the same as my biology job. Less than a year later I accepted another position within the company for almost triple that, and I've broken the six figures barrier.
The value of my B.Sc. was hard to factor in. Some people in the company understand that a degree means you have the capacity to learn new things faster than most people. It also helps that I'm a keen student of everything that comes my way.
I made the transition, I don't like the people as much (oil production rate is tied to day to day stress in a big way), but I have been given the opportunity to learn all kinds of new skills that I didn't as a lab rat. I now deal with a difficult client that has about six levels of hierarchy (I never thought I would be able to be diplomatic to the degree that I am). I've made some new friends that I wouldn't have met any other way, and the compensation is much higher.
I just hope my luck holds, and that I keep on the steep learning curve successfully.
Best of luck if you choose it. It's a very difficult decision, and I suffered from anxiety for about six months after due to the uncertainty in my new domain.
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I transitioned away from a career in Biology for the exact same reasons you are bringing up. I was underpaid, and under appreciated. I realize it's not the same as moving away from IT, but there are probably some common parts to the experience. I chose to work in upstream oil and gas. It's an industry here, and the strength of my B.Sc. got me a position that paid exactly the same as my biology job. Less than a year later I accepted another position within the company for almost triple that, and I've broken the six figures barrier. The value of my B.Sc. was hard to factor in. Some people in the company understand that a degree means you have the capacity to learn new things faster than most people. It also helps that I'm a keen student of everything that comes my way. I made the transition, I don't like the people as much (oil production rate is tied to day to day stress in a big way), but I have been given the opportunity to learn all kinds of new skills that I didn't as a lab rat. I now deal with a difficult client that has about six levels of hierarchy (I never thought I would be able to be diplomatic to the degree that I am). I've made some new friends that I wouldn't have met any other way, and the compensation is much higher. I just hope my luck holds, and that I keep on the steep learning curve successfully. Best of luck if you choose it. It's a very difficult decision, and I suffered from anxiety for about six months after due to the uncertainty in my new domain.