John did not get much study time this weekend. He claims that he doesn't have much to study yet; only a week out from his first tests, and nothing posted online yet for the upcoming week. A part of me is glad that he's on top of things. Another part is just a little bit worried.
We've done this before, you see. Before starting the program he's currently in, John spent two years in medical school - and hated it. He disliked the curriculum, didn't connect well with his classmates, and generally was not ready for the responsibilities required for medical school. By the end of his second year, he was genuinely dreading the next 8 years of his life.
After much heartache and discussion and prayers and more discussion ... we decided it would be best for him to leave. Which he did. Leaving him unemployed, without an MD degree, and over $100,000 in debt. Yeah. For two years of medical school.
We spent the next year basically trying to "find" ourselves and survive. John found a temporary job to supplement my decent-but-not-great income. Our income was low enough to put his school bills into deferment for a year until we could "re-evaluate".
Months passed with John recovering from his ordeal in medical school, and finally he decided that he wanted to go back to school again - this time for a PhD in research. He worked hard, interviewed several places, and was accepted - at the same school he had attempted to get his MD degree! Plus side: we don't have to move! And they give their grad research students a stipend. He would be paid for going to school - and actually be making more than me!
We've still got that medical school debt ... but now that John's in school it should go into deferment. Meanwhile, we've bought a house in a much nicer neighborhood (no drug dealers or murders! Yay!) And John is so much happier than he ever was in medical school. Which makes me happy!
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