dude if you really want my advice here it is. your job you have now sounds excellent and you can make a good middle class life out of it and unions are strong in CA and thats not changing the way the politics are out there. if you go to school for PT you will end up making a bit less and may have to move and uproot your family. so bottom line is this. if you like your job now and see yourself doing it long term then keep it and go to school on the side.. if you hate your job and think a PT job would be something you actually wake up wanting to do then go do that. nothing worse than waking up hating what you do.