Just thought I'd start a thread about this, because I am probably not the only one out there that feels this way.
So I will be one of those individuals that starts a career in nursing after the age of 40, and I sometimes feel envious of those nurses that are around my age that already have 20 or so years in the profession. So by the time we are 50, they will have @ 30 years while I will only have less than 10. The way I calculate it, I will probably only be able to give 35 years max into the profession, and will be at an age older than most other nurses retire (I don't want to retire at 65, I want to keep going into my 70's). I find myself sometimes wishing I had followed my fleeting instinct to do nursing during my first undergrad years. People try to tell me that I should be proud of the years I spent in another profession (which I am) before I embarked in nursing but the more I spend with nursing, the more I feel regret that I did not start with this profession earlier. I try to resolve my feelings by convincing myself that I can always blend my prior career into nursing (something many people cannot do) and that will give me an edge, which means I will not be delegated to floor nursing for the rest of my working years. I do want to work as a staff nurse for at least 5 years to get the raw experience of nursing, I have no desire even to supervise other nurses right now. Been there with management, done that, and happy to just do my job and make money for now. I think also that in becoming a nurse after 40 not many people will peg you as being a new nurse right away ... but then again, people do say I don't look my age
I just brainstormed the paragraph above so forgive me if it sounds like jibberish .. hopefully you all understood my point. Just want to get new perspectives on this, thanks!
