[MimisMomLVN]

Hi, I am a 48 yer old mother of two previously a paralegal for 25 years and hated it. Always wanted to be a nurse. I just graduated with honors (A student somehow) from LVN program on November 18,2005 and am waiting to take NCLEX. I am four classes away from entering the RN program. It's hard but you can do it if I can. Some days I almost gave up, but with God's help kept perservering towards my goal. My 21 year old daughter started the RN program in August so we have two students in my house. I lost my mother from MS last year and that was my life changing take a look at your life experience that made me make the change. I was making great money as a paralegal, but felt like my days were wasted. Now I feel like I can make a difference for someone each day and my heart feels at peace like I'm not wasting my time anymore. I plan to be a good nurse. All of us older students need to support each other and encourage each other. So you go for it!!! My prayers are with each of you each day. Take care. Oldernursingstudent in California. God bless!!!

[bfloboy2]

thanks for sharing everyone.

This was an "easy" choice but it will be a tough journey!

Oldernurse- the steps to my choice went like this. At work we had a "Vision to 2020" and it made me think of my personal vision to 2020 and i didn't like it. This is something that i have often thought of but never acted and i guess now is the time. I want to be a role model for my kids and i want them to see me as someone who wasn't scared to take the chance.

Jack

[krisssy]

Originally Posted by oldernursingstudent

Hi, I am a 48 yer old mother of two previously a paralegal for 25 years and hated it. Always wanted to be a nurse. I just graduated with honors (A student somehow) from LVN program on November 18,2005 and am waiting to take NCLEX. I am four classes away from entering the RN program. It's hard but you can do it if I can. Some days I almost gave up, but with God's help kept perservering towards my goal. My 21 year old daughter started the RN program in August so we have two students in my house. I lost my mother from MS last year and that was my life changing take a look at your life experience that made me make the change. I was making great money as a paralegal, but felt like my days were wasted. Now I feel like I can make a difference for someone each day and my heart feels at peace like I'm not wasting my time anymore. I plan to be a good nurse. All of us older students need to support each other and encourage each other. So you go for it!!! My prayers are with each of you each day. Take care. Oldernursingstudent in California. God bless!!!

That is soooo wonderful! You may not have seen my previous post. I am 58 and going back to refresh my skills that have not been used since two years after I got my RN at the age of 22. Took a refresher course, starting my MS in psychiatric nursing this winter and plan to get a job as a psych nurse part time as soon as I can. This is keeping me excited about life after much trauma. Somebody posted this, and I keep it on a post it on my desk lamp. "These years are going to pass regardless of what you do. You may as well do something that you are really interested in" My son and I will be going for our master's together. After graduating from a top business school and doing "business" things for 4 years and hating it, he is applying to be a school psychologist where he will need a master's and a doctorate. He loves the fact that if he gets in, he will be working with kids in hospitals and have amazing opportunities to learn and help kids. It is a different profession, but the feelings of wanting to help people are the same. Krisssy

[jjp]

Hi Todd, I'm the second oldest in my class, I'm 49 years old. This is my third career change. I wanted a stable job, with many options. I graduate in March of 06. Good luck to you! jjp

[jjp]

Hey you guy's, Your not old. I'm better at 49, then I was at 30. I love nursting school, but I hate testing. Ha Ha jjp

[garrettsmom]

I am thinking of switching careers after 18 years in IT. It is a difficult decison for me. Here's why I waiver in my decision to switch careers.

Pros: Work as a Federal Employee. Excellent salary, benefits, vacation,sick, work 10 hr days, 3 day weekend every week, Guaranteed job (cross my fingers), never more than 40 hours a week. Worked my way from the bottom, so already paid my dues, so to speak.

Cons: Work is boring, days drag on. We are contracting out a lot of our work, and are not busy now, so after a 10 hour day, I am mentally exhausted, which makes me physically exhausted.

I figured I'd be very busy = very happy being in the nursing field. But then I read some of the nursing threads where some are so fed up, they'd rather have a 9-5 desk job. Is the grass truely brown on both sides?

[KatieBell]

Well, I firmly believe that the grass on any side is as green as you make it.

[gilliansl]

My situation is a bit different, but I've been encountering nurses in similar situations.
I moved from the east coast to the west coast and discovered that when I took all my classes way back when (I've been a nurse for 27 years), that it was before reciprocity kicked in. So I get here to california and discover that I have to have more class hours and that &)*()(&&^%%^ 54 hour pharacutical course... So at over 40+ I'm back in school and bored out of my mind! I'm simply biding my time until I finish the pharacutical portion and then I'm going to go take the boards here/challenge the boards here... whatever.
But we do have several folks in our class that are over 35. Most have worked in the medical field before and are now 'upgrading' their skills and career.

Gillian

[krisssy]

Originally Posted by gilliansl

My situation is a bit different, but I've been encountering nurses in similar situations.
I moved from the east coast to the west coast and discovered that when I took all my classes way back when (I've been a nurse for 27 years), that it was before reciprocity kicked in. So I get here to california and discover that I have to have more class hours and that &)*()(&&^%%^ 54 hour pharacutical course... So at over 40+ I'm back in school and bored out of my mind! I'm simply biding my time until I finish the pharacutical portion and then I'm going to go take the boards here/challenge the boards here... whatever.
But we do have several folks in our class that are over 35. Most have worked in the medical field before and are now 'upgrading' their skills and career.

Gillian

Wow I am going to be living half the year in Fla. and half in my state where I am licensed. I also got my degree many many years ago. I never thought there would be a problem with state reciprocity. I will have to contact the Florida BON. Thanks for the information. Krisssy

[oldiebutgoodie]

Originally Posted by garrettsmom

I am thinking of switching careers after 18 years in IT. It is a difficult decison for me. Here's why I waiver in my decision to switch careers.

Pros: Work as a Federal Employee. Excellent salary, benefits, vacation,sick, work 10 hr days, 3 day weekend every week, Guaranteed job (cross my fingers), never more than 40 hours a week. Worked my way from the bottom, so already paid my dues, so to speak.

Cons: Work is boring, days drag on. We are contracting out a lot of our work, and are not busy now, so after a 10 hour day, I am mentally exhausted, which makes me physically exhausted.

I figured I'd be very busy = very happy being in the nursing field. But then I read some of the nursing threads where some are so fed up, they'd rather have a 9-5 desk job. Is the grass truely brown on both sides?

I am 52, and graduated in June from a BSN program. I was in IT for 25 years before that, but I got tired of sitting behind a computer, and thinking that what I was doing was not making a bit of difference in the world. Also, between layoffs, outsourcing, and age discrimination, I didn't think it was worth my energy to stay in IT.

Pros: Brand new field, very interesting.
NO problem finding a job. If there is age discrimination, I didn't see it in the hiring process.
Flexibility.
The feeling that occasionally you may have made a difference in somebody's life.
OK pay, good benefits.
Few layoffs.

Cons: Nursing school is a pain in the butt. Many of the classes are totally irrelevant, some of the instructors are nuts.
Nursing school is expensive, unless you can get into an ADN program or a state BSN program.
You will have to spend at least 1 year taking prerequisites, if you are lucky (Anatomy, Micro, etc...)
First year of nursing is HARD. I have already switched jobs, after being in a unit where I had 15 different preceptors, absent management, nurses quitting, and a few nursezillas.

However, every time I think about going back into IT, I just can't get up for it.

So, hope this helps. PM me if you would like to chat more.

Regards,
Oldiebutgoodie