Oh my god dude, if you really think what I was saying was so offensive that you had to put on a thick skin, I have little hope for you in this industry. I can't imagine how you will handle the first user calling you an idiot or that one co-worker who will give you a condescending laugh because you don't know how to configure a vlan. But there will be many of them. Yeah, I didn't word it like a customer service representative. I worded it like how most of us IT guys actually talk to one another (not clients), blunt and honest. And you get the best advice from these people, not sugar coating HR reps who don't know what they are talking about. It is only your own ego being threatened that is causing you to read what I am writing as talking down to you.

And about the salary, by viewing it as a paycut you have the mindset that it would be a step down. Right now you are unemployed and want to switch into a completely new field. While $36k isn't unreasonable, someone who really wants to succeed would not turn down a part-time job or job paying less when they are unemployed anyway. So $30k a year doing IT would be a step up. That first break into the field is the most important one. This is where I sense your entitled attitude, along with being butthurt by my perceived tone.

You really need to reconcile with your ego if you are going to take a step into a new field where you are making less money and know way less than you do about finance. I think you can do it, but beyond any technical stuff, the fragile ego will kill you.