See asutekku's comment in this thread regarding Autodesk giving out free student licenses for Maya. I don't know how true it is, or how to go about it, but if t

See asutekku's comment in this thread regarding Autodesk giving out free student licenses for Maya. I don't know how true it is, or how to go about it, but if the Blender UI is really what is keeping you from pursuing 3D art as a hobby, perhaps that could be a solution.