As far as what to do with your spring break — I'm on spring break right now. I'm a lot younger than you are, and so probably have less disposable income (that's total speculation on my part), but I found that extremely low-cost vacations, at least by most people's standards, can be really rewarding. I found a really cheap plane ticket to Puerto Rico, and I've spent the last few days walking and hitchhiking around, hiking, and camping wherever I could find a spot to put my hammock. I've met a ton of really nice people, seen some beautiful places, and I've only spent around $15/day on average.

Just a thought!