Adam was right.
I've said it before and I'll probably have to say it again at some point in my life, but Adam was right.
We just got back from New Orleans a couple days ago and the trip was kind of an eye opener for me. Well, not really an eye opener, but more of a confirmation or a reconfirmation of my beliefs and wants. I want a lifestyle change. I want less stress. I want happiness. And I want to have a job that makes me happy - something with History.
After many, many, many hours of discussing it and analyzing it and contemplating it, I've decided to go back and get a graduate certificate in Museum Studies. It's only 18 credit hours, but it's at the graduate level and includes an internship with a museum. I'm hoping that will be all I need to get a foot in the door somewhere and then after I've decided where we'll be living/what I'll be doing, then I can worry about getting my Master's.
During the vacation, though, I came to realize that I love History more than anything else. I don't necessarily want to teach or get embroiled in the headache of academia, but I want to show people stuff and be a part of preserving history. I'll never be satisfied in law enforcement. Yes, I save people's lives. I have saved lives. I know it. I've been thanked for it and given a pat on the head. But it doesn't make me happy. It makes me sick to my stomach and the thought of having to go back tomorrow after 10 days of being away makes me nauseated. Unless I'm able to snag a government position in History, I know the pay will suck. I'm sure the benefits (if there are any) will suck. But at least by being involved in History, I know I'll be happy. And hopefully in the time it'll take me to get my certificate, then Adam will have gotten a certificate of his own and he can be the breadwinner and I won't have to worry about anything other than my happy little job and whatever book I'm working on (which is another hope/wish/dream entirely - still working toward publication, but there's never any guarantee of that... still hoping, though...)
So... yeah. Adam was right. After fighting the idea of grad school for so many years because I'm scared I'll fail or it'll cost so much or I'll never get a job, I've decided to just do it. I'm not happy with my life so I'm changing it. One small, $500+ class at a time...