OK, sorry everyone, hectic few days.
Click thumbnail for bigger pic -
1)I quite like the principle card, it very much seems to represent the question, the 2 of wands is all about having established yourself to the extent of having spare energy and desire to branch out and do something new, but not quite being sure what.
2)It's crossed by the 4 of swords which suggests inertia, a somewhat reclusive rest, not so much stagnation as comfort.
3)The foundation is tricky to read here, the 3 of swords can be a conflict of ideas (made me think of my 3 animals again), but to me is more often associated with what it obviously appears to represent - heartache and love triangles.
4)I really don't like the court cards, I find them hard to read, but the King of Swords is definitely a teacher, someone passionate about ideas (fire of air) and in a position of authority. Firm but fair.
5)The 10 of swords is a horrible card with a bit of hope, it stands for a disaster, possibly a mental breakdown. I call it 'you don't get any deader' - the positive spin is that things can only get better, and as this is in the past I feel it implies that this is something you're already getting over. Again it can also mean what it literally depicts, 'backstabbing', malicious gossip etc.
6)The 2 of swords stands for a temporary truce, possibly between two conflicting concepts, it is often a difficult decision which needs to be made logically. Here it is reversed, suggesting possible unfairness, or the end of a period of calm.
7)The 7 of discs is usually about being fed up of waiting for a return on an investment, in a very material sense.
8)The Devil I call 'we choose the chains' - it's about bad habits and hedonism, a card of addictions and harmful choices.
9)The Knight of Cups is air of water, as well as stsanding for a writer of love poetry, the arrival of a message with emotional content or a proposition, it's also about travel by water and has associations with the period between early October and Early November.
10)The King of Cups is a patriarchal family man with a tendancy to overindulge, as in both to spoil his kids and prone to drink and eat too much.
So, I would say:
You're in a position where you feel you want to start a new venture elsewhere but are perhaps held back by the feeling of security you currently have.
You've been through some distressing conflict, possibly of a romantic nature, but are moving forward towards ending the temporary stagnation and taking on a position of benevolent and wise authority.
You are feeling frustrated at waiting and see others around you held back by their mistakes and bad choices.
At some point (possibly between the 12th of October and 11th of November) you are going to have to tell someone how you really feel.
This should lead to you being in a position to rule over those who matter to you with kindly and self-satisfied indulgence.
With reference to your question, there are a lot of swords here, which definitely suggests somehing in the academic field, and a movement towards an emotionally rewarding conclusion.
There is a definite theme of movement and breaking with the past and overcoming opposition to that.
I would say this is a pretty positive spread that suggests you are on the right track in what you are considering doing.
If I think of anything else I'll post it later.