I've discovered that I really have a passion for biblical Hebrew. I'm a Protestant exploring Coptic Orthodox Christianity, and I'm increasingly fascinated by the early New Testament writings in Greek and Coptic. I was raised with KJV tapes of the Psalms and would fall asleep to them every night when I was young. The last five years, I've been wrestling with Catholicism, in both its more liberal and conservative forms, and I've finally realized that the Oriental Orthodox Church is where I would like to be. The Hebrew Bible was my bread and butter growing up and the stories are knit into my "nefesh". I've been to Israel twice and Egypt once. I love both places. It it's always been my desire to read the Hebrew texts in their original. I don't need to be a professor, although I'd like to teach, even in an informal, church setting. It's the path I would be going with this knowledge which would be more important than the "end goal" of being a professor. I somehow like the idea of teaching, catechesis, talking with others on a lay level, and exploring the Holy Land with others in a tour setting. I don't have a desire to be a community spiritual leader (priest) or a professor necessarily, though I would choose the latter If I had to. That answer likely means I am not fit for either, but something related, like a librarian or university administration position.
The passion I have is centered around biblical Hebrew and making God's word known. I understand that the non-sectarian programs such as UW Madison, Princeton, Yale, etc are for anyone with the interest in biblical languages whether they are sectarian or not. I don't mind studying with non-believing people, but I am faith based and based on my interests, I'm not sure how useful a HDS type degree would be for me. I am looking for academic rigor in biblical studies, particularly OT and Hebrew, which may or may not apply directly to an academic career.
Even if academia was not my bread and butter job, I would still love to be immersed in the world of biblical Hebrew, and even the related languages of the New Testament, such as Coptic, and somehow use this knowledge to help people whether it is paid or not. I attend a Coptic Orthodox Church near Washington DC and I have reached out to Catholic University of America's Theology Department. We are trying to flesh out ways to catch up to the level of language proficiency I would need to start the program. I don't know if it makes sense to go through the formal route of study if it's not going to make the bread and butter. However, I would consider being a researcher, librarian, museum worker, or do something related. Since I've been to the Holy Land and Egypt and have never felt more alive than I have doing that (except for when I am Divine Liturgy), I'd love to see if I can work abroad in Israel. I live near Museum of the Bible in Washington DC and I know there's tons of places to study in the Northeast Corridor. To be clear, this is not an academic interest that is separate from knowing God better and what he has said through the Bible, which can only be understood through the languages in which the Bible was written. I also know that my primary job is to rooted in serving people and being in the real world.
I know your "day job" accounts for a large portion of your life so I'd like to do something at least RELATED to academia and research so that I could be engaged with my mind. I've done maintenance, custodial, "hands on" sort of jobs and I hate it. My mind just goes to waste, rotting in my head. I was advised by a career coach recently about HVAC and auto mechanic jobs (I was working seasonally at the Smithsonian and now it's time to find something else) and my heart just sank in my chest. Although jobs are plentiful here, I'd really like to do something that stimulates my mind. Federal jobs are a great option. But with so many options, it's good to narrow my interest perhaps. It would be nice to have a job that is social, but not all of the time, and rewarding to the spirit and the intellect. I have no desire to lead others in worship or counsel them about their problems or the sacraments, so a priest job or M.Div is not something I feel led to do. If it would help lead others in a faith based environment, like catechesis or education for adults in a church setting, or museum work, I'd consider it, but not for ministry.
I could just shelve the whole thing and become a plumber, but I think I would be very unhappy and have regrets. I feel pretty strongly I need this requisite knowledge to do any number of careers that are at least somewhat related to my primary interests of biblical Hebrew, the torah, Coptic Christianity, and travel to Israel and Egypt. I'm a bit concerned about possibly being less interested in these subjects if I "monetize" them or pursue a field which incorporates them as part of a career, but I'm much more concerned about being a plumber or blue collar worker and having my brain and my heart melt inside because I'm not doing anything interesting to me. I've been down that road and it's not nice.
Any guidance based on life experience would be much appreciated.