Dan,
You may be able to have the best of both worlds as I have. You will probably need to "pay your dues" first by working for a major in a big god forsaken metropolis somewhere, in the middle of the night with monday and tuesdays off. Then hopefully you can transfer to a smaller town closer to home with some cash in your pocket. I don't think you have to give up your plans of a rewarding career by going to work for a major airline. The pay (closer to $30/hr,$45 ot & 55 dt) can give you the freedom to start that business on the side, or buy your first aircraft without having to rent it out to pay for it.
Here's my free meaningless advice: 1. work like a slave for the best paying major who'll hire you. 2. Get all the Overtime & gravy you can soak up. 3.Give yourself a 2 or 3 year time frame to build up your savings.
Hopefully you will then be in a position to make a decision about the rest of your career, a)return to GA at much lower wages with some cash in the bank b)stay with the major & transfer to a better location c)give up on aircraft maintenance and become a professional wrestler. Afterall that's where the real money is!
Good Luck
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