Knowing when enough is enough

I turned in my two weeks notice the other day, and it was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made in my life.  I work at an after school program and my work schedule and school schedule have a major conflict.  I have to leave my most important major class 40 minutes early every day in order to make it to work on time and it was starting to affect my classwork.  I had a decision to make; Do I let my schoolwork suffer because of my job or do I quit.  I chose the latter.  Education outweighs a paycheck.  Even though I will miss my class and all of the awesome students in it in the long run it is my education that will allow me to work in a job that I love and not work just because of the money.  We as a society put so much emphasis on the pursuit of wealth that we ignore the pursuit of happiness.  I was not happy with my job so why do it?  Why are these green pieces of paper so powerful?  The answer is because we allow them to be.  The only reason for money, in my mind, is to be able to provide the basics: own a home, car, pay bills, send kids to college.  That should be the extent of money's power.  Money cannot buy happiness, health or a sense of purpose.  I would rather take the hit to my paycheck and live a life worth living than slave away in a job I don't like and somehow have it justified by getting a paycheck.  Those hours spent working could have been spent learning, doing, or enjoying myself, and I can never get that time back.