The Kingdom of Doubt and Uncertanity

I finished "Remembering the Kanji 1" (RTK1 among friends) about a week ago. I've now familiarized myself with 2200 Jouyo-kanji. I know it's a wonderful achievement, and something only the ones who are dead-serious about learning Japanese do, but somehow this feels...useless. I know RTK gives a very solid base for my Japanese, but the fact is I'm still not functional in the language, far from it. Again, this is something I knew would be the case before I even started, because RTK is just a foreplay, it's not the real Japanese. I know I'm not even supposed to be functional after just 8 months of intensive studies, but... I guess the biggest disturbances are, am I doing enough and is all of this even worth doing?

Especially since about a year from now on I'll be in serious financial troubles, since the bank makes me start paying back my huge student-loan then. If I had a job, it would be no problem. But about 70€/month is a big money for an unemployed. I'd want to have a real career by then, a career I love and want to advance in. But...can one become fluent in just 20 months (someone else than Khatzumoto-sensei)? Could I finish The Project by then? Even if I did, would I get a living through it? There are too many questions, and not enough answers. The only thing I know, is that I can't waste my life in a job I hate. I can't and I won't. But where should I start fixing this? I hate being poor.

Miniscule Updates...

THE PROJECT-UPDATES

• Got feedback for chapters 1-7 from Reader #1. Oh God, my typos and brainfarts in the text!...Asked for dozens of more opinions about the characters and structure from the Reader #1. Poor thing...
• Mulling over what to do with the lore of the Project. Wonders if certain details should be changed now before they become plotholes, or rather wait and see whether they actually become ones.
• Still filling up the gap in the plot in chapter 9.

REAL-LIFE UPDATES

• The gym is under annual maintenance, so I have quite the withdrawal symptoms since my nice little routine is now broken...Luckily it will open again within few weeks so I can continue. Yayyy!
• Didn't get to study game design at Outokumpu. Well, it's their loss...
• Became part of an interesting translation project with an Indian acquintance. 
• Japanese, Japanese, Japanese!
• Still attracting the not-attractive-in-my-eyes-type of guys...grrrrr.
• New apartment is freakin' awesome!

CURRENTLY OBSESSING OVER:

• GACKT
• Japanese language
• Battlestar Galactica
• Getting into shape