A change like this is generally considered to be a Big Deal, but my graduate school experience (aka 'several prime years of my life') will be a much better one as a direct result. If something in your life is falling flat, draining your energy, failing to inspire you to do your best work... by all means, make a change. This may require overcoming substantial psychological, social, institutional, or societal inertia. Do it anyway. The rest of your life happens exactly once, and there is no time to waste in non-ideal situations — bad school, bad job, bad relationship — that you can change if you take the initiative. Don't let laziness, a preoccupation with being comfortable, and Status Quo Stockholm Syndrome ruin your life.
This place is a Maker's paradise. A few photos from my first week of messin':
A simple plasma arc system I built using a 12V lead-acid battery:
