I never had any real career aspirations growing up. All I ever wanted to be was a mom. I knew I wanted to go to college but I never gave any thought to what I would do.
I had minimal interest in science in HS. I enjoyed Biology when we studied blood typing, genetics and dissection but that was where my interest ended. I was more interested in writing and theater but I had major stage fright and never had confidence in my writing. I lacked enthusiasm in my last 2 years of HS. I barely managed to graduate high school with my friends but was surprised when I didn't get accepted into my only choice college which I only wanted to go to because my older brother was there. I decided that I would attend CC for a year and then transfer to UIA after that.
I had worked in Nutrition Services at my local hospital in my Jr & Sr year of HS and I really enjoyed it. I was fascinated with the ER and triage. That was when my interest in the health care field was first piqued. I thought I wanted to be a paramedic. When I graduated HS though, I quit my job there to go to CC full-time. I did great in my gen ed classes my first year but floundered my second year. I had decided to stay local at the persistence of my boyfriend at the time instead of going away to UIA as planned. I ended up dropping out of CC half-way through my 2nd semester of MIT/MIS classes and never formally dropped my courses, resulting in my being placed on financial aid suspension.
I took time off from school and kept saying I was going to go back "next year" or "in the fall" or "when my car is paid off" or "when my bills are caught up" but it never seemed to happen. I worked at different jobs and moved several places throughout the country. When I came moved home from IN with no job, no education, and no plan, my best friend suggested I do HCA work for an MR facility she had worked for. I didn't think I was cut out for it but I did it anyway and I loved it for the four years I was there. Still had little to no interest in anything medical even though family and friends often commented that I should become a nurse.
I finally paid off my credit cards, my car loan, etc after five years. After a big fight one night with my ex, in which he told me he didn't want to ever get married and didn't want any more kids (effectively shattering my only dream for my life - becoming a mom) I knew I needed to get my life in order and leave him.
I went through a lengthy process of begging for reinstatement of my financial aid and then signed up for classes. I was all set to take more gen ed classes when my uncle stopped me in the hall outside the registrar's office (he works at the CC) and said, "Why didn't you sign up for Nursing classes?" I just kind of shrugged it off. But then I went home and thought it over for a couple days. Why
didn't I sign up for Nursing classes? All the jobs I have had, I took them because I felt like I could help people. Every career idea I vetoed was because I didn't feel I would be helping people enough. Maybe I
could be a nurse.
The next day I went back to the college, dropped all of my classes and signed up for whatever courses I needed to prepare for the nursing program. I sat through a pre-nursing orientation that fall and heard the director of the program talk about how they sometimes referred to NS as "Leave Your A-hole Boyfriend/Husband And Move On With Your Life School" and kind of laughed to myself but... After bolstering my confidence by losing 100lbs, finishing my first semester of courses, and gathering up my support system, I left my own a-hole ex and moved back home with my mom. I was miserable and cried my way through my summer Chem class and worried constantly that I'd made a mistake going back to school and leaving my ex but the longer I went, the more confident I was that I had done the right thing.
This summer I will be a CNA and in August I begin Nursing school. Nothing has ever seemed so right to me until I made the decision to become a nurse. I choose to make a career of doing the one thing I know I am good at - taking care of people. And if one day I will be able to take care of my own kids and they can look up to me and be proud of the decisions I made, I feel my life will truly be fulfilled.
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