Contemplating career change from a high paying yet miserable job

Hi Monkeys,

First I want to thank everyone on this forum, even the shitposters,for teaching me so much more about the financial world, an industry I knew virtually nothing about. If it weren't for WSO, I'd probably be a public sector employee living off the taxpayer's teat.

I transferred to and graduated from a semi? target, non-Ivy League school in 2019. I had previously been studying political science and then economics at a mediocre private school, but decided half-way through I needed to work my way into a higher pedigree institution for greater job prospects. I transferred into the business school to pursue a BSBA in international business.

At the time, I didn't think that finance or accounting were for me, and I was much more interested in economics and international studies, so I opted for the i-bus major. Following this path, I spent most of my third year of school working for an international development organization (think IMF, WTO, Asian Development Bank, etc.) thinking that the brand name would open enough doors for me after graduation. I flirted with the LSAT to attend law school, which I thankfully abandoned as a project and but then entered my senior year recruitment season without a clear idea of what to do. I interviewed at big name consultancies and a couple of finance roles but didn't clutch an offer. I didn't really clearly understand what I wanted to do after graduation, and I figured consulting or banking would be good options. I did get to learn a bit of what project & structured finance is like through some connections at school and became interested in this part of the financial universe. I've been networking with different large and small firms since then.

I ended up taking a management rotation job at a private company that pays over six figures and has an incredible work life balance and job security. That said, the company is in an industry I could not possibly become passionate about and it is a far cry from the fascinating work done in project finance and other IBD roles. However, making the career change to project finance or other IBD roles seems impossible for someone without any sort of finance background. If I really want to pursue that route, is it worth risking what I have for a low paying or unpaid internship? What would you do if your were in my shoes?