It's not like my previous degrees would be wasted. I just want to get certified to teach in my field. Right now I'm a non-certified staff at a high school and I'm not in the department that's relevant to my field for most of the day.

It just bothers me that I was going to teach in public schools in the first place but wasn't mature or stable enough to pursue it when I was in my early 20s. I could have been several years into a career instead of wasting my 20s getting a doctorate. So I don't have very much full-time work experience.

With the age and education thing, I'm afraid I'll be in a class that's taught by a masters student. A professor with a masters may be awkward (for them at least), but they at least have the teaching experience. But a masters student...

I'm also afraid of running into old professors since it's part of the same department. I still haven't forgiven 2/3 of my committee that served over my oral exams. There's just so many negative memories in that building and on that campus. But it was the best (and possibly the cheapest) program in the area so I kind of had to go with that.

It's just leaving a positive environment where I'm valued to return to an environment where I'm not. I'm not lonely and isolated during the day now because of my students and coworkers, but upon returning to school, I wouldn't have much of a social outlet. If my SO doesn't get the position he's a finalist for, he might be going overseas to work so I might see him every few months. So I would end up without friends or family and I become very depressed with that alone. Even if he stays within driving distance, I would still feel lonely going back to school.