As it turns out I was you a few years ago. I went from nuclear power, where I made $95k base and $130-150k with OT, to cybersecurity where I started at about $60k/year (government job).

Some things I considered before making the leap (in no particular order):

1. Long term prospects. In nuclear, in order to get paid more I would have to go through two more years of training, at which point I’d get about $10/hr more. The government job, however, was a career ladder, meaning I get promoted every year, giving me a $15k pay raise each year until I hit the top of the ladder which pays about $110k (this would take about 4 years) with no overtime. The new position also has bonuses for certain certifications, mine happens to be 25%, which leaps over nuclear without OT

2. Quality of life. Nuclear is rotating shift work, 12 hours long, while the cyber position is M-F, “9-5” (roughly). While having a 7 day weekend every 5 weeks is nice, transitioning from days to nights every week is painful. Other benefits are also something to consider here. That includes telework, health insurance, PTO, etc.

3. Can I afford it? Fortunately I have a military pension coming in to pay the rent because northern Virginia is on the expensive side for a family of 5. I won’t lie, the first year was tight, the second wasn’t much better

TL;DR answer: ultimately only you can decide, but if you’re unhappy where you are, it might be worth taking the risk. If you can leave in good terms it gives you a fall back plan