[sick!]

I think you should stick with your job and playing poker at the same time a little while longer. Playing for only 6 months really isn't very long as you could be on the good side of variance. Right now you have the security of your job so you can take more risks playing poker but if your deriving all your income from poker stress will become more of an issue especially if/when you go on a downswing.

Yes there is a diminishing return. Right now your playing poker for "the fun of it". So the few hours you play is more of a relaxing time as a opposed to work. But if your grinding it out 5-6 days a week for 8-12 hours, it's a lot different. Obviously the more you play the better your probably going to be which would account for you improvement.

Also if your turning pro, you can't mix your savings with your bankroll. Your bankroll is your bankroll. Same as if you had your own business. What you invest into your business stays there for operational purposes. You pay yourself a salary essentially. The money outside should be in case your business goes under. So you should have at least 6 months of savings. Better if it's a year.

Also you must respect the decisions of your family. Family comes first. Try keeping your job a tad longer...say another half year. That way you'll have at least a full year's worth of playing time to convince her. Your the sole income earner so you have to understand her point of view. After that, try taking a leave of absence(sp?) or vacation for a couple of months (or more if you can) and try it out full time to see how well you do (ie your how much you make at the table can actually replace your income) and if you do really like it. Since you didn't say whether this will be online or live, spending one day at the casino is a lot different than spending 5-6 days there and/or spending months on the road at tournaments. You'd also have to consider all the pitfalls that staying in a casino will entail.

Hope this helps.