I need opinions. I know all of you are good at voicing them....

[sara1998]

I hate my job.

It is my opinion that if you're not happy in work, you can't be fully happy in life. It is also my opinion that you're the only person solely responsible for your happiness. Therefore, I've made the decision that I want to quit my job of 10 years. It's been a wonderful place to work, and I know I have it good there, and I also know there are many places that suck to work at. I'm employeed at a pharma giant, and it's the largest employer in my state. People think I'm half nuts for wanting to leave; however, I'm a lucky girl to even be there because I'm not college educated. I guess I can understand the half nuts bit... I have a month of vacation, great benefits, a kings ransom (for what I do), and some job security.

So, here's my dream: quit my job and attend school full time. I want to go into nursing. This isn't something that just came up overnight. My daughter was premature at birth, and since then, I've wanted to be a NICU nurse. I've been unhappy at work for almost 2 years, and I've tried to go back to college part time, but I can't do that and be a single mom. I started going back 4 years ago for this, and it's all I really want to do.

Here's my plan, and this is what I'm fishing for opinions on.

I'm a widowed single mother. I have no doubt I will get grants and go to school for free. I'm waiting on my W2's so I can fill out my FAFSA. My concern is more about monthly bills. Being that I'm a widowed mother, my daughter collects social security. If I'm unemployeed or make under a certain amount, I qualify for a widows pension, which is equal to the amount my daughter receives monthly. These 2 checks will equal 2/3 of my current income. All I need is a little more monthly income and I'll be able to sustain my home and current bills. I don't want to uproot Sara through all this. Would it be totally insane to take out a student loan to live on for 3 or 4 years? (I'm guessing 3, I'm just going for the associates for now...1 year pre reqs, 2 years clinicals.) The amount of the loan would probably be equal to that of a nice car, which I could probably pay off within 5 years after graduating.

Anyway, I've gathered the opinions of friends and family, and I guess that's just not enough. I want opinions of people who are not "close" to me so that you're not agreeing with me to tell me what I want to hear.

Thanks guys. Let your opinions shine...