The next day, Dan shareing the Bible, and trying to reach out to his friends, but the disease was still present. The next seven years, Dan finished high school and attended three colleges, earning a bachelor's degree in Missions and a master's in Religion. While in school, he worked at a variety of jobs, mostly in the area of construction, and he married Darleen Bailey Beard (now a well-known children's author) in 1983. Strangely, the misfortune was still often present as several companies he worked for collapsed or took wage cuts, he began to experience depression and back pain, and investments he tried lost money. Ministry opportunities were very few, and eventually he lost his ordination due to a difference in his beliefs, but knowing he had a purpose, Dan cried to God and asked for more guidance.
Shortly afterward, his closest friend at the time, Steve Robinson came by and asked, "are you going to keep driving nails the rest of your life" and invited him to come with him to speak to a career counselor at the University of Central Oklahoma. Having always been interested in Psychology, and having no clear direction from God, Dan decided to keep learning, and earned a second master's degree in Community Counseling.