I'm in a bit of a crossroads in my life right now. I've been in junior college for a while now, with the intention of transferring to a university and eventually getting a masters in history. It's my intention to become a professor at the junior college level, but I have my doubts. I know what the job market in academia is like, though it isn't quite as bleak where I live. My grandfather is also offering me an opportunity to work for him and learn from him. He's incredibly skilled in a very esoteric trade, and he pays pretty well. My uncle and brother already work for him, and they seem to enjoy it. Thing is, it's a big commitment. 80-100 hour weeks at times, sometimes out working in extreme heat, and it would keep me away from home and away from my girlfriend. All of that I can live with, but I know it would nag at me, the thought that I could've done what I'm really passionate about (i.e. teach history), which it must be said is probably an easier life than trade work.
What on earth should I do? I'm at the point in my life that I should be making some real money, though I'm not hurting for it right this moment. If I can't get the degrees without a mountain of debt, I likely just won't do it, but even if I can manage that, I'd like to know that it won't be impossible to find a job that doesn't involve treading water as an adjunct.
Edit: Wow, I did not expect this many responses. Thank you all so much for your kind words and insight. If nothing else, you've all reassured me that I'll probably be alright either way. I've at least got a fair few options to choose from, and I know many would gladly trade places with me. I'll do my best not to waste it.
I got my degrees without any debt. I don't regret doing so, I had great experiences and learned a lot, but I work a menial public sector job now because it pays so much more than anything I could hope to do with an MA in humanities. My experience is unusual, as far as money goes, I would recommend against doing what I did if you would be in debt.
I don't think prospects are likely to improve in the next decade, probably not in my lifetime. I know you may feel like you're missing out on doing something meaningful (I sometimes do now) but realistically, at least in my case, I can't actually do the thing I was taught to do. I would be surprised if you actually could, but you know your conditions better than me.
Your mileage may vary, upside to monotonous work where you're not public facing is I get 8 hours a day to listen to books and podcasts. I'm also in a union, get weekends to spend with my family and am paid better than anything else I've done. Those things make my situation a lot more tolerable.
What exactly is it that you do, if I might ask? I'm trying to get a better idea of what else one can do with this degree besides teach.
Factory work, basically. I do manual labor in a machine, logistics for a federal entity. Absolutely no use of my degrees.