no, not tenessee....

how about something physical, like working on a crab boat out of alaske, those guys make cash. My uncle is a tug boat guy up there. could be rewarding, working the land as they say... and pocketing some dough...

 

hey double the post.... double the !!!

 

become a drunk. they never have money but always seem happy...or passed out...but that glazed look in their eyes tells me that wherever they are...they are happy.

 

that's not happiness..... but it'll do in a pinch

 

I'd suggest taking a few months off and observe what others do.
don't give up on the Pharm route yet. All the baby boomers will get old and need their drugs - $$$ baby!!
I think a career is just like a marriage, you don't just luck into a perfect one, you have to work (hard) at making it perfect - and loving the effort along the way.

 

also, 6 more years of school and you're complaining??? weak sauce!

 

seriously, as ninh says.... keep your eye on the prize... up front it may hurt.... but in the end, you won't have to scramble, save money, start a new career again when you're older.... the peace of mind as you get older is worth money and if you have actually money on top of that, you'll thank yourself for toughing it out....

in the meantime, take a month off.... go to the beach or somewhere, a rock, a cabin, something and let your head relax.... something, anything.... you deserve it, humans have been punishing themselves entirely too long....we need robots.

if its one thing I've learned in my life, its "do it now". save money now. work hard now. do as much as you can now, because the more you do now, the less you do later. you won't have to scramble when you get older, I wish I'd done everything I'm doing now 10 years ago. My parents are scrambling. I almost got to the point where I'd have to scramble, but I "got it" in time and i'm making plans while I'm still in my 30's. but the earlier you have it together, the more you'll thank yourself later in life.

money can't buy happeness, but sure helps to pay the bills so you can worry about finding happiness, and not worry about paying bills......

life is for enjoying... be easy.

[rant & ramble=off]

 

Have you ever talked to your boss about this? Maybe there's a lateral move within the company to a position that isn't graphic design related that could lead to other things. If you've done good work you may be able to get a recommendation for a different position. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you'll hate it, but at the least you're searching without being homeless

 

Well.. the good thing right now is that I have this job.. and am making my bills. So I'm at least in a stable situation to ponder things. I really don't want to leave my family though.. so anything out of the area is not really a solution. I definately need some time off to ponder things.

6 more years of school.... eh.... I've already been through 4.5 which would be like 10.5 years... now... if I had started at 18... finished at 28... I don't think it would bother me so much, but finishing at like 32.. when I'm already broke, I just can't quite dive into that. One reason is I'm not totally sure I'll like it yet... so I hate to spend money on classes and get into more debt for something I'm not going to do well in or like.

I just don't want to go into any more debt with school if its something I'm not able to do or not wanting to do. I just hate to spend the rest of my 20's living off crumbs. I am still looking into different careers though... I wish I woulda thought of this crap when I was 18.. not 25.

 

I know the feeling...I finished my undergrad when I was like 28...still working on that ing masters, although it's a bit easier for me in the sense that I'm doing it part time and it's directly related to my current field (where I want to stay).
I'd have to agree that, if at all possible, take some time off and get away. At this point I'd never be able to afford to take off for a month (damn mortgage!) but it may help to give you some insight...My experiences during my 'time off' years ago led me directly into this field.