Need advice. Prospecting new career

[KolinG]

I need some advice from anyone willing...
I was schooled and certified in Luthiery. I worked in the industry for one of the biggest names in the world for musical instruments for almost seven years. For the past 5 years I've found myself in a small shop restoring antique furniture with no upward movement available. I'm pretty good with my hands, building and fixing, with some problem solving.
I've been considering going back to school and I think civil and environmental engineering would be something I would really enjoy. I'm not sure if it's too advanced for me or only paper/desk work.
Can someone shed some light on the career and what a day is like in your shoes?
Should I make the jump and go back to school and make a career change or just try to advance somewhere else in my general area of work?
Thank you in advance!

[jboggs]

I think you will find this group is always in favor of taking actions to improve yourself. The worst possible outcome of your efforts is that you end up where you are right now, and that's not very likely. As a mechanical engineer I can't speak specifically to civil or structural engineering, but I have worked with several of them over the years. Like most engineering disciplines, you will find a wide variety of work situations, some mostly in the field, some in an office, some for local government, some for national government, some in large private companies, some in small private companies, some self employed, some for equipment manufacturers, some for industry consultants, etc.

I say go for it. Gather the tools and skills that will put you in the position to have to make some decisions about those different options.

[KolinG]

Thanks for the advice jboggs! That was my gut feeling. The rising cost of tution makes me want to dig in and find out as much as possible before I make the jump.
Thanks again for your help!