I haven't personally made such drastic career changes, but I'm LinkedInto people who have. Most were in their late 40s to mid-50s when they lost a software job in this recession, and found it very hard to get a similar replacement job. Some shifted to another career, most at very reduced pay.

If you're older and experience job-loss in a recession, many employers don't even want to talk to you. You may be very experienced and skilled in a general sense, but unless you have exactly the skills the employer wants, that experience is viewed as expensive baggage. Plus, many employers assume if you were let-go, you must be deadwood.

--FY