Just thought i'd add my 2p worth here (albeit a bit late).
I went for an apprenticeship when i left school. This was electronic engineering which gave me a near as dammit degree level qualification paid for by the company. Downside of this was 4 years of working around 45 hour weeks for pay that started at £40 per week and rose to £140 by the end. So pay per hour was awful, but the end result was worth it.
However i decided to make a dramatic career change into something i loved, which was working in bars. I quickly got qualified at this level and became assistant manager at various bars in my hometown and then London. However the pay for the hours worked wasn't going to be something i could support my life ambitions with (marriage, owning a house, kids etc).
Eventually i've settled on a job where the pay is good, hours are good and although it's not where my passion is, it's not an awful job to have.
What i'm getting at here is, at no point in your life is it too late or early to try something new if it's not working for you. Life has a funny way of throwing curve balls and what was great one year is possibly not suitable the next. Do what your gut tells you and never look back with regret, look forward with a plan and learn from the experiences you've had.