So yeah, I just left in my first year, TLDR version is you don’t know how much of a timesink something is until you get to it. After seeing it firsthand and knowing I would be spending 50+ hours a week basically locked in a library or a hospital for the next 7+ years, there’s no way I could continue. I’m not going to sacrifice my life for this.
I do have an existing BS mech engineering degree but I never went beyond internships with it and it’s almost 4 years old now. Considering getting back into the field and finding something with good work/life balance (I really don’t want to exceed 40 hours a week for this stuff any longer, studying/work/anything related to this I don’t want to infringe on my life). Also thought about PA/NP school but I heard PA school goes over 40 hours a week during those 2 years because it’s so condensed? And I don’t want to wipe people’s butts in nursing on the way to being an NP?
Not sure how best to proceed to my goal of getting a job with good work/life balance and decent income. I certainly don’t need physician income (250k+), even half of that would likely be more than what I need.
Should I look for an engineering job now? Go back for a MS? Do PA/NP school (won’t go this route if the schooling is too time-intensive though)? I could also finish a CS degree in about a year and maybe work in tech?
If anyone has even remotely helpful advice I’d appreciate it.