I sort of did this. I went from a software job building web applications to working on radio hardware. The parts I worked on were the FPGAs that did the signal processing. I didn't do any of the board layout or PCB design, but I had to read the schematics and understand how to interface with various things on the board. It was interesting, but I found the work frustrating and the iteration time very long. I eventually went back to software and am happy with that choice.
Here are my thoughts:
- The grass is always greener on the other side. Other engineering fields have their own problems, the work is not always exciting, and you will have to learn a lot to be productive.
- Consider pursuing your interests as a hobby. Outside of cutting edge stuff or things like civil or nuclear you can do most things on your own. And the cutting edge stuff no one is going to let you do for a long time because it typically requires a large organization to do and large organizations get large because they have specialists. Plus they are generally risk averse. You could maybe find a startup doing interesting stuff, but they don't have the money to spend on mentoring you/bringing you up to speed.
- You are giving up a lot of money by leaving software. If you want to do things like have a family, own a home, start a business of your own, you should consider sticking it out in software and finding fulfillment outside of work.
Edit: Maybe you just want something to do that isn't behind a screen. Consider getting more involved in things like cooking, hunting/shooting, or working on your car. Those hobbies (and others) all have aspects that require similar skills as the interesting parts of engineering. Maybe you can find find some of what you're looking for there.
Here are my thoughts:
- The grass is always greener on the other side. Other engineering fields have their own problems, the work is not always exciting, and you will have to learn a lot to be productive.
- Consider pursuing your interests as a hobby. Outside of cutting edge stuff or things like civil or nuclear you can do most things on your own. And the cutting edge stuff no one is going to let you do for a long time because it typically requires a large organization to do and large organizations get large because they have specialists. Plus they are generally risk averse. You could maybe find a startup doing interesting stuff, but they don't have the money to spend on mentoring you/bringing you up to speed.
- You are giving up a lot of money by leaving software. If you want to do things like have a family, own a home, start a business of your own, you should consider sticking it out in software and finding fulfillment outside of work.
Edit: Maybe you just want something to do that isn't behind a screen. Consider getting more involved in things like cooking, hunting/shooting, or working on your car. Those hobbies (and others) all have aspects that require similar skills as the interesting parts of engineering. Maybe you can find find some of what you're looking for there.