Replying individually to each of your posts turned out to be too complex. Hence, I will just put all my thoughts here.

First of all, I want to express my gratitude to everyone for taking the time to help me, especially to temeraire, Celia, Aeryn, wolfsister for their empathetic, informative and thoughtful replies.

I see two choices before me. One is to do some research about taking care of the dog when I am away, and the various other constraints that having a dog will impose on my life and adopt a dog. The other choice is to postpone having a dog for a few years, which makes me sad. I can afford the daycare and boarding, but I am wondering if I should put the dog in such a situation for my own selfishness? But on the other hand, I think it will have a better life with me than in a shelter. I don't want to be afraid of what will happen to the dog if I lose my job, because that is extremely unlikely. Having said all that, I am just starting out to live my own life. And it does make sense to invest my time in creating a better future for myself, to go out and have fun, rather than spending a lot of money and time in taking care of a dog. I am tempted to take the easy way and forget about the dog.

Some of you have suggested that I should keep some other low maintenance pet, like a cat, bunny, snake or mouse. I cannot do that because my family will stop visiting in that case. Even the idea of having a dog is turning out to be a major point of contention with my family. I did not anticipate such a reaction from them. They want me to focus on my career rather than chase my childhood dreams.

Maybe the best option for me is to do what Isaac and Stephen suggested. Either, find a roommate who already has a dog, or volunteer at a shelter.

Can any one of you explain what fostering is? I have a strong suspicion that people who have never had a dog wont be allowed to "foster".

I feel happy now that I know my options. Some of the self-hate I had about not having a dog is gone. Once again, thank you, everybody.