Steve, i am currently Offshore, albeit in a very different job, i miss my GF like crazy but we have a plan and doing this will set us up very comfortably with little worrys hopefully in the future,

It is not easy it never will be but it does get better, you will never stop missing your family but hopefully the future will be more comfortable,

I have been offshore for nearly 10 years now and have been with the gf for 4 1/2 years i will return home one day for good but thats the plan we made,

Give it a chance if not by the sounds of it you have some good education to find something else,

All the best what ever you decide

Mike