Is a Career in Astronomy Worth the Time and Effort?

[boredjavi]

would Astronomy be worth it? please help

hello everybody I am 22 years old, and up until recently i was working for a well known bank as a bus./personal banker. i was making about 50k-60k a year depending on my bonuses. i just got fired a few months ago because a manager got a hold of my username and password and stole 20k from a customer... luckly it was cleared up and no charges were put against me but they still let me go. now that I am older and have the opp. to change where i was going as a career I've been thinking more and more about getting into astronomy. Astronomy is my true love I am good with people and good at sales but i always loved astronomy. i never got into it after high school because i hated school then it was always boring and never challenging so i would never really put full effort into it and was a solid c student. that doesn't mean i wasnt a smart kid i remember my freshman year my algebra teacher was always drunk and i would go up and teach the class (he was fired the following year).

what has been on my mind is that would it be worth going back to school for 12+ years and do what i love but get paid the same as i am now doing what I am also good at. if there is anybody who has been in the same situation that can give me advice it would be great! thank you all
p.s. right now i am going more towards astronomy

 

[Locrian]

Astronomy is my true love I am good with people and good at sales but i always loved astronomy.

Yea, but the astrophysics people do for a living has little to nothing in common with the astronomy you think you love. The astronomy you love can be done with spare change from the kind of work you've been doing. Don't bother with the 12 years of nonsense, just do what you do best and keep learning on the side.

 

[mal4mac]

Remember you will only reach what you were paid at the bank *after* 12+ years of living on peanuts and working much harder than any bank worker. And then you will probably not get a job as a professional astronomer. I was a straight A student and gained an MSc in Astronomy, and then was forced to do computer science research to earn a living wage. This research was actually as much fun as the astronomy, and probably more fun than working in a bank (especially now!) So yeah, do astronomy, but don't expect a job in Astronomy, but expect to be able to move sideways to a reasonably good job...

 

[boredjavi]

thank you all for your help I am still open to any ideas, but thank god i was able to get unemployment and will be getting a check for doing nothing for a year and a half so I am going to take this opportunity to go back to school and I am just going to take it from there