Nathan, I would seriously think twice before you leave your wife (to be) be behind. It doesn't really matter what line of work she's in. You're not only going to need her, you'll want her with you as well to provide much necessary emotional support. As I stated in my journal, the stress level I experienced in flight school was pretty close to what I experienced while going through nuclear power school. And just a side note here...the guys in power school that were married and had their wife to go home to at night, always performed better. There's no coincidence to that.
From what I understand of your post, kids are not a factor and therefore, stability should not be much of a concern. And yes, I too am speaking from experience. For two years after my commissioning in '98, I had to leave my fiance behind for flight school, SWOS, deployment, etc. Sure we saw each other a week here, a week there with several months in between. But that's no way to have a relationship, especially a married one. The only reason she stayed behind was to finish her Master's degree. Had she of already graduated with it, she would have been right along with me every step of the way. That's what we would have wanted.
In the end, who give's damn about a job? If she's wants to stay in education, she can teach part time, do tutor sessions for homeschool parents, etc. It's your time together that's going to be important and you're going to need it going through flight school. As difficult as your first couple years will be, it is pretty amazing what young wives can toughen out.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not discounting your fiance's career goals. However, I'm sure she understands what you guys are getting into by you electing to be a pilot. Remember too, that there will be a time when things settle down a bit and you'll be living in the same place for three, maybe more years. Now, that may not be stability in a civilian's eye, but it isn't bad for a family in the Navy.
Good luck in whatever the two of you decide.
--Steve
Edited by - Steve Wilkins on 05/06/2001 12:42:21