The Next Big Decision

So it's 12:15 and I can't sleep. I've had a cup of Sleepytime Tea and just resorted to a sleeping pill. I'll be wiped out all day, but c'est la vie. I've got a lot of Big Thoughts going through my head as a result of a conversation my husband and I had this weekend. He lost his job about a month ago and hasn't had any luck finding a new one, though he has applied like crazy. I've only applied to a few since I'm not finished with my assistantship or school until June 30th. He thinks I should apply to the Research Associate I applicant pool, just in case--which would put me working where I currently have an assistantship. And if we were to stay, he would go back to school and finish his Bachelor's Degree. This is what's got my brain running 90 to nothing. His lack of a BA has been a point of contention for a while. He had every intention of finishing back when we were dating, then he stopped after we got married at my edict that we couldn't afford any more student loans until he knew what he was going to be when he grew up (as he changed his major 3 times). Since then he sort of fizzled out, finishing his Associate's in business by a technicality when they changed the requirements such that he'd already taken everything he needed to take. Our point of disagreement came because I always believed he would finish, and his actions in recent years said otherwise. He doesn't like school. That's never been a secret. But to me, a BA is the minimum requirement--like a high school diploma was to previous generations. It's the base level requirement for any entry level job that's worth anything; therefore, it is the sensible thing to do. We've had many fights on this issue, so when he brought this up this weekend, I was surprised. He has, I suppose, gotten to the point where he is tired enough of fighting high turn-over jobs to actually do something about it. So our next step is to go talk to an admissions counselor here at Mississippi State (which is where his boocoodles of hours are) and find out how far he is from finishing a bachelor's degree in...something and what the somethings are that he is closest to. If is means us staying here for one more year or even two so that he can go to school full time and finish, then I am absolutely 100% for it. I want it more than he does. I don't give a damn what reason he chooses to go back, so long as he does it and takes it seriously. It will make such a Huge Difference in his ability to find a job from here on out. And I think it would do a lot for his self-esteem to have finished something. So at this point I am frantically praying about what I am supposed to do in this situation. Should I put off applying to jobs in outside areas, concentrate on getting a job here, checking out the freelance editing opportunities so that I could garner a little extra income and experience while my husband finishes his degree and I wait to break into publishing? Or should I just apply to everything that interests me anywhere and hope he finishes elsewhere later? I will, of course, write like a maniac wherever we go or whatever I end up doing. But of course, he will finish in less time here than he would somewhere else since all of his credits are here. And it is far cheaper to live here than it would be somewhere bigger, so it might, perhaps, be easier to begin seriously paying off our remaining debts. As much as I don't want to stay here, I have to admit I'm leaning in that direction, if it means my husband will finish his degree. He could go to school full time and get some sort of part time student job to help out with bills. I see a lot of positives to this situation. I suppose it comes down to two factors: 1) my finding a decent job and 2) him really being willing to go back to school. We shall see.