Think of it this way, you are not yet 40, so you can not "retire" for ~25 years. Which means that you have worked for only half of your adult life. Why not take advantage of an education and have a better second half than the first half? I finish next May with a Bachelor in Operations and Supply Chain Management, and I am also continuing to go after that Masters. I am an intern with a manufacturing company and they have already extended an offer to stay through next year and after I graduate.
Then I look at my 32 year old brother making over 100k after dropping out of Community College. Employee of the year last two years in a company of 1500 people and recently promoted yet again. The kid showed up to a meeting with the President and board who flew in from Israel two years ago to present a project in his bosses absence. He hates wearing anything but shorts, so he pulled up in his Euro Sports ride with his Pilotti shoes, corduroy shorts and WWJD for a Klondike Bar T-shirt. When interrupted with a snide remark on his dress code violation he said "are we here to talk fashion or are we gonna close this deal with the University" and kept talking. That deal closing got him a golden ticket to do whatever he wants and his first employee of the year title. Not to mention he works from home and spends 20-30 hours a week in a Riverboat Poker Room where is average per hour take is currently around $80.00. The kid is the epitome of the movie Office Space.
Funny how that works, my brother came into a crap load of cash and does not have to work. But the truth about both of these stories, they are not the norm. The best thing a guy can do is go to school and improve his chances. Part of it too is luck, being in the right place at the right time.
You can easily get a government job in many varying agencies with an Environmental Science degree. Government jobs are good for time off and benefits, as well as a more lax work atmosphere. I work in the private sector for a consulting firm (mainly for the money...) and work on mostly oil contaminate remediation, whether that be from pipelines, service stations, land based oil rigs, or train derailments. We have 40 employees on the Gulf right now collecting background sediment samples due to the massive oil spill. However, I have also had projects where I was paid to collect fish samples. Yes, that means I fished for 3 weeks. I've also had to collect small mammal samples (trapping) and frog/lizard samples. Those are always fun. I like my job because it's always something different. I got a minor in GIS because most environmental firms use GIS technology quite a bit, so I would recommend atleast taking a few classes on GIS, just to get familiar.
That is why our taxes are so damn high. We need to outsource or privatize some of this crap and become more efficient and effective with our resources.
