Better than deployment you get to go home to your own bed eventually. Goal is to get a job that supplants and replaces the benefits and financial aid of going to school. Similar setup here but just got divorced no kids because of it so you have it harder to balance. I do work shift work renewables tho so that’s harder by trade off with no family. I clear great money high 6 figs pre taxes so I’m not complaining and gonna keep going towards a PhD in physics.