Hi Sam. Your question takes me back. So a personal comment as you requested. Please ignore it if you think it not of any value because you face a real dilemma and in the end only you will have to live with it and the decision will affect the rest of your life.
It is all a question of balance and it is not for anyone else to know how much you want either of the two sides of the situation.
Of course if you are fortunate you could attain both as I did. My wife stuck with me whilst I ground away through the self sponsor route. She even did extra work to enable me to take time off earning whilst training. I knew she was the real thing then. Happily we were able to produce soon after the licences and a job ensued.
This is not to say that if your partner will not wait for you to get your licences that she is not the real thing either. You could finish up in big debt and no job cos it is so tough out there.
Of the two, the relationship is the more important if it is the right one. Only you two know the answer to that (if one ever knows!).