[ignifero]

Do you have money to stay a year off work? If yes, quit your job and work on something yourself (you sound like you could figure out what it is). Reclaiming those 8 most creative hours of your life can make a huge difference. Even if you don't have an absolute business plan right now, having an open horizon will give you a new perspective.

I took a year off at 28 after 7 years in a small company to do a Master's programme. I ended up becoming an indie developer and its only gotten better since. We live in great times, take advantage of it. If, OTOH, your plan is to start a family etc., it would be better to stick to the corporate safety.

But most of all, you should not take other people's advice too literally; life doesn't come with a manual, and nothing can guarantee happiness.

[mcbeth]

I'm pondering that but the current situation in Europe (I'm European but don't work in the EU) worries me that I might not be able to find a job one year down the line.

Are there any engineers out there that did a complete career shift and went into the medical field or law? For some reason that tempts me but soot it might be too late to make that change.

[ignifero]

You need lots of patience for such a shift, esp. with medicine; think twice about it. You sure you can't find another discipline? On the other hand, it's never too late (me i started a PhD in neuroscience at 29). I would definately not worry about finding a job in IT in a year.

[mcbeth]

Do you have a medical background?

[ignifero]

I studied physics.