<prompt> Human: Not that Im the only one in here with strange situations.Im at my whits end trying to figure out what my best next steps are and after numerous other conversations with friends and family, Im curious to know the advice of PF.Some basic info:- 29 y.o. male- two kids 4 and 7, full time single dad widowed, not divorced- B.A. and two M.A.s, but in the fields of philosophy and religion which, as we all know, is extremely employable... :- No car loan paid off- No student loans paid off- House loan; mortgage around 745 a month- 12,500 in savings for emergency fund; 2500 in my checkings; 3,000 in kids checkings; 3500 in a mutual fund.- Had a full time 35-40k a year job in sales up until August 31st which was taken after my wife passed away just so we could survive. The position ultimately phased out after they adopted a fragmented position which left me incapable of proving my numbers, so we agreed to part ways amicably and I was given a 3 month severance which just phased out last month.- We were young and stupid and didnt have any life insurance but my kids do get a collective 1,000month in survivor benefits. My daughter goes to daycare, so thats 320 month out of that.- I now work a 20 hour a week construction job for 13hour no benefits, am taking a graduate class see below, and I started my own business in October coffee roasting and coffee mug making but so far its mostly been re-investment and I havent yet been able to pull any money from it, though its on its way. So heres my pickle. After my wife passed, any desire and relevance of moving forward and getting a Ph.D in historical religious scholarship disappeared, as did the practicality of it. I went into my college and graduate years thinking that was where I wanted to land and I had the aptitude for it, but after going through loss and various personal struggles, its just seemed irrelevant to me and that is besides the fact that the likelihood of landing a teaching job even with a Ph.D is a longshot. I know far too many doctorates that are waiting tables or scrubbing boats for a living. I took two consecutive sales jobs, the first paying 35k and the second paying 40k, though they were largely the same job. I hated every moment of those jobs, partly because of the jobs and partly because of what I was going through, but I did them because my life needed to get put on the back-burner so that we could be in an okay financial situation.Ive turned my attention to areas of counseling and social work, which honestly can still incorporate my prior degrees significantly, and got into an M.A. in Mental Health Counseling this past semester, which frankly is right up with the sort of work I want to do. I am qualified for tuition remission, but it is a 75 hour program 15 hours of licensure and a year of practicum and that would take me a good number of years to do if Im trying to work a full time job in the process. Ive looked at doing shorter programs in related fields i.e. MSW, but I would lose the possibility of tuition remission and without an undergrad in social sciences Im largely stuck with 60 hour programs. So yeah--Im in a crazy complicated hole. Having the severance pay and the part time job allowed me to get my small business started and it does look like it can eventually become part time to full time work, but at the moment it is not and wont be for some time. Im aware of that. If I do a full time job which honestly after 3 and a half years in sales, I cringe at doing something again that seems to suck the happiness right out of me and, therefore, affects my kids as well, I wont have time to go back to school except on a very part time basis, which for a 75 hour program, would take 5-7 years, nor would it allow me to build into this business. Alternatively, I am out of student loans and really cringe at the idea of going back into student loans to live off of, even partly, though doing so would allow me to pour into school and pour into my business. Do I take out student loans again, even if just for a year, so that I can go back to school and work towards a tenable future? Or do I just give up on the idea of doing anything relevant to self-fulfillment and my prior training until my kids are much older?I do think if I pulled out through the course of a year, 16k in loans, in addition to the 12k my kids bring in and whatever I can make from this coffee roasting job more than a hobby--were doing 300-400month in sales currently, that I can make it work. Im just in a whirlwind of decision making. Need some thoughts and advice.  <response>: in addition to uharrison_wintergreens great suggestions, since you have a paid-off car, deliver food every night if you can find a babysitter. Maybe now is the time to move back in with parents or relatives. Also teach at your local community college, or at online colleges. You easily qualify as an adjunct with your Masters, and you can teach online which makes it flexible as a stay at home job. 