I’m (22F) leaving my boyfriend (23M) for work, but I’m having strong second thoughts
My boyfriend (23M) and I (22F) have been together for over a year and a half and have just graduated, but we are on different paths. Since the beginning of our relationship, I have expressed my desire to go into conservation field work around the country and eventually the Peace Corps. Through some targeted efforts on my part, I’m soon to move to a different state to work in the environment and then move to another country in the fall to work as a Peace Corps volunteer.
We said our goodbyes not long ago, but it was very difficult. Watching him cry and listening to his thoughts felt like I was breaking his heart, and then breaking mine in turn. I can’t help but feel like I’m doing something horrible and wrong to him. I love him immensely, and our relationship has been consistently stable since our first connecting. We discussed staying in touch as friends virtually, but we’re both fearful of how things will change.
Help me? I’m struggling to let him go, and it almost feels like the wrong choice now. But I don’t know when I would get the chance to do the exploration that I want to do if I dropped these opportunities and decided to stay in town near him. It almost feels silly to question dropping a job for love, but my heart is heavy with regret. I need some clarity please.
TL DR: I (22 F) have job opportunities that will cause me to separate from my boyfriend (23M) for a very long time and end our romantic relationship. I’m struggling to accept that I’ve made the right choice in moving away rather than settling for a job near him. I need some advice .