Hi Sam.

This is a very interesting thread, and I bet its helpful to a lot of people who are considering changing careers etc.

My advice to you would be to that you shouldn't put your future in the hands of employers who may or may not hire you. You should be self employed. Offer services to people based on your specific skills.
For example:
Offer to help people set up music studios. Here's a sample ad for that type of service in Victoria.
http://victoria.craigslist.ca/muc/1669314342.html
There must be lots of people in Vienna that would want that type of help. Most of them would be complete beginners, that would need help getting a basic interface installled and working. You would control your own hours.
This is only an example of course, but could be a place to start.

Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.