I'm currently in the nascent stages of transitioning from software engineering to practicing as a (Christian) spiritual director. I went through a two year training program a few years ago, and spent roughly 5-20 hours a month working with people (5 hours represents the number of individuals I see a month, 20 hours when I facilitating some group retreats through my parish). I'd love to move out of engineering completely in the next few years, but I'm still figuring out how to grow my practice enough to provide enough income. Much of my parish-related work is still done on a volunteer basis. I suspect I will need to find other part-time work to supplement income as a director.

There's also the not-so-small matter of providing good health insurance for my not-yet-adult kids. That change is probably another three to five years down the road.