Oh Crap...

[Ariana Murphy]

I've read this whole thread, and I can certainly understand where you are coming from. But what I'm not hearing in your original post is the PASSION that is required to make any kind of small business owner/operator arrangement work. (And I'm speaking from experience here, although not in photography specifically.) If you have doubts, then to me that indicates that you're not there yet. You're talking about a huge leap from being an engineer (who makes really good money, from where I'm sitting) to a job where you never know if you can make this month's rent. That's a big jump, and in today's economy, it could be a one-way street. It's a very steep learning curve to learn to run your own business, too, as pointed out in previous posts.

Having said that, for some people it IS worth it, and I whole-heartedly wish them all the success in the world. (And envy them!)

This is just my humble opinion, but you will be well advised to think about what you're giving up, not just what you're getting.