Warm greetings to you, Nightwolf1!
I am also mainly interested in consciousness and the human experience, and this is in my opinion the best place to discuss and expand your knowledge on this topic.
Somebody once said "How can we know what consciousness is, if we do not know what states it can achieve?", and I totally agree. I think psychedelics are THE tool that will aid us in understanding these issues.
I have real life acquaintances and friends with experience very similar to yours. The military can be a very harsh place for some spirits, so I understand your transition. Computer science is definitely a great field, and there are many computer science application towards astrophysics and astronomy, so I'm sure your path will become more clear if it is not already.
Best wishes