<human>: My girlfriend and I have been dating for over five years now, since our freshman year of college.  After we graduated 2 years ago, I moved out to NYC, her hometown and dream place to be, both because of her presence there and a great job opportunity.

She's starting law school in New York next fall and I will be getting my Master's in Washington, DC.  I love her and am ready to go long-distance to make this relationship work, but she wants me to commit to coming back to NYC while she finishes her law degree and works for at least a few years in the city.  She already told me that she is committed to this plan, and like an idiot I just stood there silent and slack-jawed.

I don't hate NYC, but I don't exactly love it either - I feel continuously broke from the high cost of living and alone in the big crowds.  My bigger reservation is that I want to work in the public sector, or at least do something government-related, and for that DC is the place to be.  Also, unlike her I do *not* know the specifics of my professional goals and opportunities - without having any clue what type of job prospects will be available after I get my degree, the thought of closing all doors but New York, at least for the medium-term, seems frightening.

I am confident that I love my girlfriend and want to make this work, and my doubts about NYC and my professional future, at least for now, are unchanging.  The problem is that I feel like I cannot decide what to do based on this knowledge (commit? take a break?), and my paralysis is hurting both of us.  Even before this discussion things became strained and awkward between us as our separation grew closer (a similar thing happened senior year of college, before it was clear I'd be in NYC too).

It's tempting to ask "what should I decide," but that's obviously folly; maybe a better question is, "how can I calm down and rationally figure this out?"

Condense the text into a few key points
<bot>: Long-term GF and I are going to separate cities for grad school, I want to be with her but am unsure about where I want to end up or what I want to do.