I need some help making a decision... I am 30yrs. old and recently let go from a fast paced executive career due to a corporate buy out. For years I have wondered if I would make a good nurse, but have never taken the steps toward it because I was happy with my job and making good money. I now have the chance to go back to school and I am considering nursing school, but anytime my family or friends think of me as a nurse they laugh (outloud and very hard). How do I know if I have what it takes? Do my friends know me better than I know myself? I really think I want to do this, but I don't want to get half way through and realize that I am a huge whimp or that I don't have the stomach for it. Where can I go to find out about what life is really like as a nurse? Can anyone tell me the real life challenges of being a nurse? I don't want to get my info. from "ER".