It's crazy. I feel like I'm going through a similar situation. I had an opportunity to become a real-estate agent in a VERY good market. But I didn't want to manipulate people into making purchases that large - it goes against my beliefs ( almost every real estate agent is a snake so it's hard to compete in that market without manipulation ). A while after I turned down the opportunity, things went south. I had dept, I was barely paying rent. I was feeling like a complete failure. Things are getting better as of now though - I'm slowly recovering.
It's really just good to see other people's perspectives and what they went through.
I really look forward to reading part 2 @stellabelle. Don't rush to write it though, the longer and more detailed - the better ;)