I understand this situation all too well. I quit my software development job in 2011 to finish my computer science degree. After a few months of enjoying my time off, a former boss of mine recruits me to do part-time development work for him. My current position pays extremely well, but it is unfulfilling maintenance work. So, while I'm grateful to have it, with graduation approaching I've started seriously looking for jobs.

So far, it has been very difficult to even get call backs from recruiters. My suspicion is that it looks bad to potential employers when somebody goes back to school in their late 20s (or later).