I am kind of in the same situation, only its actually my career I am thinking of changing which makes it quite a bit more... terrifying! However, after some of the advice I got off the board members before, I have been living on about 1/4 of my salary to see if I could bear it.
My conclusion is that money (when you are single anyway) is like a tube of toothpaste. When the tube is new and the toothpaste is plentiful, you squeeze it out with reckless abandon, never paying any thought to how much you are using... but when you get down to the last few drops, it is amazing how far you can make it go!
Go with been happy, it will benefit your college work so much more if you feel more positive.