Get to the root of why you want to make the change....

First off, as an executive coach it’s always difficult to give my opinion and perspective on a situation without being able to talk with the individual. However, these are the questions I would ask this person to help with the decision-making process.

Misc. questions:
 When you say you want to do something different – how strong is that drive within you to change? It seems you have a lot of good things with your current job (freedom, no traveling, training, speaking) and you may have to forego those if you change to a cancer organization or medical technology company.
 Are you certain you will be able to retire in seven years? A lot can happen during the interim so be careful how you make current decisions based on your future expectations.

Cancer organization:
 How important is “making a difference” to you? Have you always been drawn to the cancer field or has this become a new interest due to the loss of your three friends?
 How important to you is the concept of fighting cancer? Is it compelling enough to change careers and give your all to the organization?

Medical technology:
 Are you considering this direction for the success it can bring due to the amount of opportunities available in this industry? Do you want to go after more success and move money, etc.? Is this what you want for yourself for the next seven years before doing consulting?
 How much are you willing to let go of the things you like about your current job if you choose this field? How much are these things worth to you?
 Do realize that with this new job, you will still need to prove yourself and the success you desire may not come for several years? Thus, you will be just hitting your stride and reaping its rewards when you are ready to move on to consulting.
 Do you have interest in this field and job - Enough to make the change?

Consulting:
 How do you know you want to do consulting in seven years? Where did this idea come from and how solid is it?
 Why not start the consulting gig now?

This is the type of process you want to go through to get to a place of clarity. You want to ask the right questions and explore your decision making process from many different angles. It’s important to look deeply at why you are making your choices and where your motivation comes from. You want to reach out to your network or hire someone to help you explore your indecisiveness so you can be confident about the direction you end up choosing.