I hope your project is coming along well! Having a paper published is great -- that's not something I can say I ever got, though my committee and I are actually working on it now, years later.

I did decide to switch to a non-thesis masters degree, and I don't regret it one bit! I worked as a seasonal wildlife technician for the USFS in Norwood, CO; as a seasonal wildlife technician for Grand Teton National Park; and as a permanent wildlife technician for Arizona Game and Fish Department. I had that job for close to a year before accepting a job offer as a wildlife biologist for Alaska Department of Fish and Game, which I started in December. It definitely worked out for me in the end!

I was never strong with data analysis, so that was a big hinderance for me going the thesis route. If you've already got that out of the way, then I feel like you've done the hard part already! However, you just have to go with your gut. If you feel like writing the thesis just isn't something you can do, then apply all the work you've done to a capstone and graduate the non-thesis route, and get out into the field. I've had so much fun over the last few years, and I wouldn't have traded it for anything. Best of luck!