Anyone left good paying job for nursing?

fleur-de-lis, BSN, RN · Nov 12, 2006

I quit an ok paying but very secure desk job to pursue my prereqs full time. I had started taking them part time after work, but I got tired of my boss not supporting me (I was supervisor) when it came to one trouble employee, and I finally could not take it anymore! I took a long weekend vacation, talked it over with my hubby and quit that Monday. Best decision I ever made. I am now almost halfway through an accelerated BSN program. It is the hardest thing I have ever done, but any doubt I had that nursing is for me is vanished. I know I will have co-worker conflicts, probably not unlike the ones in the job that I quit. The difference is that I will be doing something that I love, that challenges me, and that I can truly say makes a difference in the lives of others.

matt59 · Nov 13, 2006

Hi everyone!
Just wondering who out there has left a good paying job to go into nursing instead? I'm in an office job that pays well & is not bad - just been doing the same thing for 20 years & wanted something different & have started pre-reqs toward nursing - every day I question if I'm headed in the right direction. Am I crazy to give this up for nursing? Anyone wanting to share their own experience if they were in the same boat would be great! Thanks All !

I was an airline mechanic; I would have had 18 years senority this September, but I quit the 1st of last September because I recognize my own limitations & I knew that if I tried nursing school & a 40 hour work week I'd crash at both.

Was it a good job? Given the present economy & all, it paid relatively well, but I no longer had an interest, I was feeling dehumanized & stagnant--my heart was elsewhere.

All that typed, I sometimes now wonder if I did the right thing. I can't remember wanting anything as badly as I wanted into nursing school, but now I don't know if I've ever done anything as hard. In retrospect, trudging into a hangar @ 10:30 pm every night like a coal miner going into the mine now sounds halfway attractive. If I knew what I know now back in September, I might not have quit my job--it's probably a good I didn't know what I know now, because I really want to do this.

matt

matt59 · Nov 13, 2006

Oops, sorry about the previous post. Mattj is aka matt59, but not for any nefarious reasons. I had to reregister a while back ago because a memory glitch hit me, & I could not remember my previous password. A couple of wires crossed upstairs & without even realizing it happened, I recalled my old scr name & pw. If any mods want to disable & delete mattj, I'm completely okay with that.

matt

LovesGreyhounds · Nov 13, 2006

Thanks to all who replied! I still have a ways to go with my pre-reqs before I have to truly decide whether to quit my current job & go on with nursing school. So it remains to be seen what my decision in the end will be. Good luck to everyone! To Matt who replied - I think you did the right thing. Remember that nursing school won't last forever. Don't give up. Remember - Pain is temporary - Quitting lasts forever. If your heart wasn't in your old job at this stage - I think the burn-out would only get worse. And there are SO many things you can do with nursing.

futurecnm · Nov 13, 2006

To all of you that said that you gave up your job and are now happily in nursing school, wait until you've graduated and are actually working in the field before you say that you are glad that you did it. Nursing school was a great time. I love learning and living the student life! Nursing, on the other hand, is a very difficult profession. I would not recommend it to anyone, UNLESS he or she has always wanted to be a nurse and cannot imagine doing anything else. Please do yourself a favor and shadow a nurse for at least a couple 12-hour shifts. Yes, there are lots of opportunities out there for nurses, but they will not fall into place right out of school or even a few years out of school. Make sure that you can handle being a staff nurse and that it is worth it to you. Remember, there are lots of other "helping" professions out there that do not require as much personal sacrifice as nursing. I wouldn't recommend staying at a job that is not satisfying and I am not discouraging anyone from pursuing their dream, but I really wish that someone would have said these things to me. Explore all of the options, shadow different professions, and if you still feel that nursing is what you want, go for it!

I think for as many people who would not recommend nursing as a profession there are an equal number of people who would recommend it. I am a student and I wouldn't exactly say I'm happy in nursing school, the work is endless. But I have done clinicals so I do shadow nurses, and I am excited about my future. I did leave a good paying career to become a stay at home mom and am changing careers to become a nurse. I know many happy nurses, and I am determined to be one of them!

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · Nov 13, 2006

I left self employment for nursing. I was a horse breeder/trainer, farrier, riding instructor, horse purchase consultant, master gardener and manager of a small organic farm. After 16 years out of the farm/horse business I still get calls for special consults, training problems and horseshoeing problems. I still love to accomodate them when I can. I love being a nurse too. I guess I have the best of both worlds with a regular income and hours I can control. I worked a lot more hours prior to nursing than I do now.

sunbeach73 · Nov 13, 2006

I left an okay paying desk job to work at a major hospital where I live. I took a pay cut of almost $2 per hour. My desk job I was able to have overtime when ever I felt the need for it for the clients sake. With my nursing job, not only did I take the pay cut, but god forbid should I get even 10 minutes overtime on a pay period at the hospital. That $2 an hour may not seem like much to some of you, but when you live pay check to pay check on the money I made at my desk job with overtime, then take a nursing job making the $2 less, no overtime and on top of it all having to now pay back the student loans, I am actually making even less money! Why did I leave my desk job and take a lower paying job? I took the low paying job in this hospital because no one else would hire me unless I had a years experience in the hospital....sad to say, but not even a nursing home would hire me. But you know, I can honestly say that I go home every night and feel completely satisfied with the work I have done. That smile that I get from someone that I had helped that day, the thank you from the patient that I had to spend an hour feeding because she couldn't do it herself. In the end I know I did something that made a difference in someone's day. Sure, it would be nice to have my wages measure up to the work I do, but all I can do is hope that one day this will all pay off in the years to come.

JenNJFLCA · Nov 13, 2006

I worked in a state lab, doing the same thing week after week. The pay was OK for the work that I did. Whenever I have a bad day as a nurse, I think back to that job and how lifeless I felt when I went there every day. Now I NEVER get bored at work and have met interesting characters. I won't do bedside nursing forever, but it's great experience and I have no regrets.

Midwest4me · Nov 13, 2006

I left a nice-paying State job in 1984 with great benefits to attend nursing school. Although I've experienced many specialty areas in nursing and had a pretty rewarding career overall, I wish many times I had not pursued the field...but feel a little too old now to change careers. The idea of "shadowing a nurse" (without being in a nursing program currently)is a good one in theory; however it may not be possible in some settings due to the HIPPA rules. Make some phone calls/research first to see about doing the shadowing. Above all, follow your heart---that IS what is most important. Best wishes to you!

BJZMom · Nov 22, 2006

I left an excellent managerial position to persue my passion. What I did not learn in nursing school was that nursing is a culture all of its own. The rules of respect, consideration and family first that apply in non-nursing industries is foreign to nursing. After 18 months in the ICU, at 2 different hospitals, I am finding that the reality of my job as a nurse is less than fulfilling. So at 41, I continue to search for my 2nd career niche that is also a good fit for my other life (Wife and mother of 3 boys :))

miss arron · Nov 22, 2006

i too am leaving a "decent" job to become a nurse. i don't think any job is actually decent if it doesn't make you happy. life's too short to waste any time doing something you don't want to do. i agree with doing your research before going into nursing just because you want to help people. luckily i know some nurses and nursing students well so i've got a good handle on what i am in for!

best of luck to everyone!

oneLoneNurse · Nov 22, 2006

I have read with interest the postings on this thread. Matt, I am surprised at your change of careers. Also like your description of the coal mine, thats the way I feel on going into the night shift.

In retrospect wish now I had of gone back into the oil industry or some other field when I first graduated from nursing school in 1984. Nursing was never to be an end for me; just a method of funding my love of schooling. I have read some postings which have had some regret and thought I would add this piece to them. Hindsight is 50/50.

Yesterday, I submitted my resignation. I have been working as a floor nurse on an active psych unit since December 2005. I chose to go back to floor nursing after 9 years in Medical Information Systems so I could pass my NCLEX. After 911 our feds passed a law stating all graduates of foreign nursing schools must pass the NCLEX. It was a challenge for me, BUT have now passed the exam.

I am getting back into nursing informatics and starting librarian school in January. Nursing salaries/negotiations should drive the compensation of both. I don't see these fields as paying anything more than what I am making now. However, at age 75 in over 20 years time invision myself still working, but at the desk of some medical library.

Royr, you make me wonder if I am making the right decision to go from floor nursing which I have enjoyed this last year, back into nursing informatics. Never really realized how much I enjoy floor nursing until this last year. I just have to do it since if I don't act now, my options will be limited. And my future employer has paid out good money to get me a new work visa.