Gagagran and willow- I can assure you I wasn't being 'flippant' and thought I'd made it clear I didn't think it is easy, then or now. As a kid, you didn't have any choice- but at some point in life, almost everyone can say 'enough I want to make my own choices now'. I went to uni aged 29, with 2 young children and a husband working every hour in the day, night or week-end- so it was NOT easy. And yes, i had his full s¨moral support, which truly helped.
My dad lost his dad in an accident aged 12- and his mother told him one week-end that he was leaving school and beginning an apprenticeship as a taylor on Monday, aged 14. He cried for days and more, and had absolutely no choice. But aged 40 he retrained as a watch maker - lots of belt pulling and sacrifices, but he did it.
I've worked with people who complained day in and day out about their job- but when told to leave and seek another job- always made excuses- and just kept moaning everyday to retirement. To my mind, life's too short. We had a friend who trained as a dentist, and then decided to become a doctor- when he had 2 small children. Sold the house and downsized- his wife supported him with her nurse's salary. Unless one is severely handicapped or supporting someone who is- there is almost always a way, at some point, as an adult.