Have you ever made a total career change, and how did it work out for you?

Yes, I have done a complete change of career. I majored in English, but there was no call for English degrees when I graduated. I ended up writing computer application programs when office computers were a very new phenomenon.

But I still yearned for publications work, and so somewhere along the line I started moonlighting as an editor, working evenings and weekends, doing freelance editing work for book publishers. I gained some experience and credentials that way, without staking everything on a new career before I knew if I could do it or not.

When the business I worked for shut down, I switched over to full-time editorial work and did that for the next 25 years. The software background was a great asset when I started doing technical editing for high-tech companies in Silicon Valley.

I’ve always found that being able to do two things can make you more than twice as valuable as someone who can do only one thing. Is there any way that you could try out the equipment operations you think you might like?—for instance, a contractor friend who might give you a chance on the side? I don’t know if insurance liabilities or certification would be a problem, but you could ask.

If you could explore ways of combining your knowledge and experience with something new, you might find that you have something special to offer.

Yes. I used to be a secretary/adminstrator. I then became a journalist and now I’m an academic. Not sure what I might do next.

I’ll give a proper answer in a bit. I’ve got a couple ideas. Just floaters… for you to consider! Humor me.
Do you have a vocational high school nearby? If so, see if they have an adult education program in the evenings. Ask if they have a heavy equipment training program. These have everything from forklift operator license classes & test, to multifaceted training in this area, etc. The reason why I am asking is -if you go to a school that calls itself a heavy equipment training school and only that area, it may cost more. Check their financial aid situation first.
If I may, have you thought about approaching it from an adult degree angle?
See if any there are any universities or colleges around where you live, that offer these courses that might be located off-campus, or at satellite campuses. More and more colleges and the like need to bring in money. So they may have off-campus school opportunities, and they may also be affiliated with schools who give credit -so that you were able to get needed licensure for what you might like to do -while in a heavy equipment work capacity. Remember state universities not only get State financial aid but they also have a larger amount of Federal aid grants for education also. Colleges tend to be more loan and grant lenders with less aid available from a state/federal program vantage point. The difference between the two is that at a college you will have more personalized one on one help getting financial aid. At a larger university you will have to pursue them. You are one of a large group, usually. If you have the drive and persistence needed, give them both a try. It might be worth your while. As I said, there is a lot of money for adult education for individuals changing their working field, retraining for new jobs, or updating their skills for an evolving work placement and job certification.
A community college is also a good idea to check into. At community colleges there are certain industries who are sometimes working in conjunction with the school, in order to get specific training for heavy equipment operators for the brand/type that particular industry uses. It’s a more product-specific type of schooling. There’s always excellent opportunities for financial aid from state community colleges.

Please remember, you’re not going there to get a degree. You are going into get certification, classwork credits, or any other type of training that may be needed to be able to do the jobs in heavy equipment.
Another idea might be to check with the state employment bureau, located either at the next large city you’re close to, or at the state capital. They have skeleton crews during sometimes of the year, but they always hire for construction work road crews who may work year-round. If you were to check now on what would be required to have these jobs -as far as licenses, training, etc., they might be able to point you in the right direction for licensure/ certification also.
Check any manufacturers in your state who might make heavy equipment products, farm equipment products, or some-such in the same field. You might be surprised and end up with a position as a field rep or trainer to use their equipment! It has happened!
Again, wherever you go for training or to take classes, always ask if they have financial aid offices. There’s often money sitting waiting for individuals that would qualify. Also, check into the reputation of the training program you may be interested in. Ask about graduate employment percentages, and exactly what kind of help they give towards finding a job after graduation. Ask about the specific area you wish to possibly register for, and ask what type of placement is usually available. Where do they draw their bank of jobs or job leads from. Business, manufacturing, etc. And also, for how long after graduation would you still qualify for their placement services. Some do very well by their graduates.
I’m sorry to bombard you with all this information. But this is what I used to do for a living. It’s a great field to get into. Graduates always seem to find work available. Plus the salaries are above the average going rates in most states.
Have you ever considered welding? This is also an educational plus for skilled/trained work. Mig, tig welding, etc. Just a thought.
If you have any questions or such, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. As I said, vocational training is one of my incarnations this time around!
Go find out. It would be worth it to just look into, whether you jump in or not!
Good luck.

I worked as a bookmobile clerk out of college, then got my MLS and worked as a public librarian before I had my kids. When I went back to work, I taught writing at a community college part time and also worked as a word processor and later administrative manager in my family’s insurance agency. When I had to leave that because of marital conflicts, I got a job as a community college as a librarian and have been there for nearly 20 years.

A long time ago I worked as a draftsman (a trade that doesn’t really exist anymore, come to think of it). It paid relatively well, but bored me silly.

So I learned to make pastry and chocolate and did that for something like 17 years. That was more interesting, but it wasn’t very compatible with family life. The food business is also a bit of a shark tank. When my last chocolate job dried up, I considered other possibilities.

Now I work in a clinic that makes custom equipment for people with disabilities. I have a shop here with sophisticated tools for making virtually anything, and I get to think up ways to make people’s lives easier. And I’m surrounded by the nicest people.

These were all leaps to something radically different, but the fact is that in each new job I find myself drawing upon basic skills that I learned in the previous ones. Nothing I’ve learned along the way has gone to waste. In the end, it’s all been about getting familiar with the material world and imagining ways to solve problems. Once you really get that, then it’s a simple matter to apply those skills in a different context.

Here’s an off the wall thought for you.
Do you have a big project you can do around the house? Rent some equipment to do the job.
Example:
I put in a ~80 sq meter patio. I rented a Terex tracked excavator. After that I had that a Bobcat loader. I also rented a Wolfpack vibratory roller.
I spent about $3000 for the equipment rental but I would have spent at least 5 times that if I paid someone to do it. And now I can say I have experience running a Terex,Bobcat, Wolfpack. That means a lot if you are looking for work.
So. What needs to be done around the house? New driveway? Patio? A new barn? Tink about it. You improve your home property value, add functionality, and get heavy equipment experience for not much money. Win-win-win!.

Again, suggestions above are for gaining licensure/ accreditation place suggestions only.
It is not to get any scholastic degree.

If you work professionally, no license gets you fined, the site can be shut down while they take loooong ‘looks’ at other’s certificates.
Then the site boss can get fined, fired as the one who hired unlicensed workers to begin with.
Then they go on to the company who ordered the work to begin with.
It happens and it works.
Reputations for field works, etc. go out the window.
It’s meant to get licensed safety on worksites.
If there’s union involved in your state, and they get upset?
That’s a horse of a different color altogether.

@thorninmud Nothing I’ve learned along the way has gone to waste.

That’s exactly what I believe, and very strongly: nothing you learn is ever wasted. I’ve been amazed at how some odd bits of knowledge have found their little slots along the way and slid right in.

I haven’t found a use for everything yet, but I have confidence that some of it will serve to entertain me when I’m old and immobile or otherwise impaired and pretty much have nothing going on except what’s in my head.

Getting someone to pay you for what you know and can do is the tricky part.