That person paid upfront (albeit using student loans), and Harvard did not line up that job, and Harvard could not guarantee that there would be a suitable job upon completion; seems similar to the points in this excerpt of your post.

However, I think it makes more sense in my position to find something suitable in Dallas to minimize living expenses before looking elsewhere. 

If plenty of suitable land is available for a repair/replacement/expansion system, this may not be too big a deal ($1k-$3k), but if not (and sanitary sewer is not available) - a repair solution could run $5-$20k for a pumped or on-site treatment system.

Marie it will depress you what people want for free and will consider a short thanks for ample and suitable payment.