[tannenj]

i've been following this saga for a while and it seems to me that you're looking for a "logical" way to make this choice, like some kind of life ev calculation or something.

this doesn't exist (aside from a comparison of earnings estimates, which obviously you can create yourself).

i'm pretty sure this is a decision you need to make independently. every person is different, and no 2p2er can provide "correct" answers for these things.

with that said, if the decision is up to me, i choose poker in an instant. you really seem to dread/despise this job. this is evident to me in your posts, and it's my understanding that this kind of stuff doesn't always come across well in writing.

keep in mind that when you have a job like this, you have no choice but to spend a huge percentage of your waking hours at the office. sure, you'll have "a great house" (probably nothing that wouldn't be obtainable through poker), but you'll only enjoy it on the weekends and at night after work (a time during which you'll be dead tired anyway).