Expectation vs. Reality for Political Science Master's

[cfornesa]

It's definitely a "me" thing, but I think I faced some issues after starting, then deferring, a program.
- One, I mixed up being "into" politics and wanting to study actual political science. 
- Two, I didn't give myself sufficient time to rest between ending my last program and beginning a new one.
- Three, I don't feel like I was a good culture fit at all for the program. I've taken other online programs before, but I just didn't mesh with the cohort.
- Four, why did I think that spending $26k would be a good idea? I withdrew just before the deadline.

I just finished my Master's in Data Science (Boston University) and hyped up political science so much that I crashed (and burned) in the first week of my new program (Tier 2). I developed a stiff neck and a major headache last weekend and just knew that the stress wasn't for me. With things being what they are in the U.S., I'm also not sure that the program I entered would continue to be supported by financial aid, which would be a problem.

I also realized that, with the level of debt that I have now, even though I want to continue school, adding a $26k load (which I know isn't exactly the worst) would be unrealistic, even if the total debt would still be lower than my expected starting salary.

Currently, I've withdrawn from the current semester, but depending on circumstances, I could either join a different program (for $10k) in AI (which I just realized was something I'm interested in learning more about) or just rely on Coursera courses for now. 

In either case, to meet the student loan deadline, I'll self-pay if I get into the AI master's program (I was admitted to the Eastern University program, but I still need to take the assessment).

I still can't help but think that I should really continue the political science master's since it's something that I've always been passionate in learning about but, at the same time, I know that culture fit and flexibility are what I need right now since I want to start a business or search for a job.

Anyway, end of my rant. I'm just really confused about my next steps, but I am going to (re)start going to therapy really soon to (hopefully) understand what I need to do.