To become a nurse or not

Nurses Career Support

Published

hello all,

i graduated from college about a little over 2 years ago with a degree in computer science. i graduated with a 3.9gpa overall and with a minor in math. i was hired into by at&t directly as a manager and now i'm a project manager for research and development in san ramon, ca. (bay area). i'm watching the trend and people are being replaced like crazy. we are outsourcing by the thousands. i actually had to learn some hindu to talk to some of my offshore workers. when i started college, i originally did pre-med and i avoided nursing because at the time the dotcoms where a better career. i make about 60k a year and i live in the bay area, where a 1 bedroom apartment on the cheap side cost $1100. average house price is 700k. my fiancé is a nursing student and the offers she has seen from her friends in this area range from $67,910 - $250,000 (lots of plastic surgery centers here) for new grads. plus there are just more jobs and better job security in the nurse field. i don't want to go back to school to go the doctor route; however, i can go to the local community college and bypass more then half of the pre-reqs and all the ge requirements. should i consider getting an associate of science in nursing? and is it something i can get going to school part time? i have to maintain my 40 hour work week to support my fiancé.

0 Votes

It sounds like you've got an educational background that would make qualifying for a nursing program fairly quick and straightforward.

Getting INTO a nursing program, is another story. Most nursing programs in California have ridiculous wait lists, so even though an ASN program is "only 2 years" it takes most students MUCH longer. Since you've already got a degree as well as many pre-req's, you'd do well to consider a "fast-track" program specifically designed for folks who already have a bachelor's degree - though they may be relatively light on the total clinical hours logged during school.

Most nursing programs are full-time and can't be done while holding down a full-time job (part-time is possible). There is A LOT of information to cover in a short time and also clinical hours to log, which are usually on week-days, during the day.

I would imagine your fiance could give you more info on local nursing programs than this board can and she certainly can tell you about the school demands!

Like any career research, it's always a good idea to interview nurses who are already working, to ask if you can shadow a working nurse (not usually allowed for privacy reasons, but some places can accomodate it), and/or to volunteer in the area you think you might want to work in.

You've mentioned a lot about the job market and income and those certainly are important factors to consider, but there's more to it than that so be sure to look into other aspects of the work as well. As you well know, we spend a lot of our waking lives at work!

There are a lot of different areas in nursing but keep in mind that many (not all) require AT LEAST a year of bedside hospital nursing. Other areas of nursing (school nursing, public health nursing) have their own unique challenges and may or may not pay as well or be as in demand in your geographic area.

Another possibility is to wait til your fiance graduates and has started working (when the reality of nursing really hits) before fully committing to pursuing the nursing path.

Good luck!!!

0 Votes
Specializes in OR.

Although, if you work an evening job and are good at managing your time, it is possible to work full-time and go to nursing school. My job gave me valuble experience that carried over to nursing school(I was a surgical technologist) and even better, I don't owe one penny in loans. If you work, just make sure you know how your organizational skills are and it helps if your boss is helpful/understanding about school. You also may not have to do a year of med/surg either anymore. Lots of specialties are taking new grads into the ER, OR, ICU etc. I agree that shadowing a nurse is a great idea-it can give you an idea of where your interests lie.

0 Votes

I know your dilemna all too well. My husband was employed by Lucent Tech. Had a fairly lucrative thing going at the time. The $hi* hit the fan and everybody lost their jobs. He is trying to get out of tech at the moment. It is all going overseas. If I were your age today, I would be on my way to med school. No question about it! I am doing my prereq's at the moment and I love science. We are also on the cutting edge of major breakthrough's in my opinion. It is a very interesting time to be in medicine. Good luck whatever path you take.

Holly

0 Votes

I am in teh same situation. I majored in COmputer Info Systems almost 2 years ago and IT IS AWFUL!!!!

It's tough to find a job. I have a helpdesk job but it's pathetic. I been thinking about nursing also (or becoming a public school teacher). I started Human A&P 1 this summer.. Having second thoughts..But I dontknow..

ANYONE WITH SOME ADVICE? I tried shadowing but that didnt fare well b/c they wouldnt allow me to shadow due to privacy reasons

0 Votes

Hi everyone! I am a new member because I am seriously thinking about returning to school to get my nursing degree. I completed one semester of nursing school and did not return because I wanted to stay home with my new baby, knowing I could postpone school but not my daughter's first years. Well, I got a teaching degree instead because I love children and thought teaching would be more rewarding for me because I would actually be building relationships with children. Boy, was it hard! I had school work to do every evening and every weekend. To make a long story short, I started thinking about nursing again because I love helping people and the benefit of not having to bring my work home every day "seems" to outweigh having holidays and summers off?? I desperately want/need your advice. Please be honest, too (tired on your days off, sore back, feet, 90% paperwork/10% patient care??). Do you feel all of the positives outweigh the negatives? Thank you sincerely, Suzy.

0 Votes
hello all,

my fiancé is a nursing student and the offers she has seen from her friends in this area range from $67,910 - $250,000 (lots of plastic surgery centers here) for new grads.

are you kidding me??????????????? i have never heard of such a thing. the nursing salaries i encounter are between $14-$25/hr. for an rn. if there is some place paying nurses $250,000 then they probably don't have many positons come open! as for going to school part-time, i don't see why not. i went part-time. it is hard to work 40 hours and go to nursing school though. i actually had instructors at my school tell the students that they "could not" do both. nursing is incredibly stressful. are you sure you want that? the responsibility on your back is overwhelming. i am already thinking of what career i should switch to.

0 Votes

Suzy (Brown eyes)-

I pm'd you. Check your mailbox. :balloons:

0 Votes
Specializes in Critical Care/long term care.

I have been a nurse for 15 years and I would give anything to have done something else. If there is a job paying 250,000 give me the name I want that job. Nursing is stressful, full of alot of BS, but you can make a living.

0 Votes
Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
hello all,

i graduated from college about a little over 2 years ago with a degree in computer science. i graduated with a 3.9gpa overall and with a minor in math. i was hired into by at&t directly as a manager and now i'm a project manager for research and development in san ramon, ca. (bay area). i'm watching the trend and people are being replaced like crazy. we are outsourcing by the thousands. i actually had to learn some hindu to talk to some of my offshore workers. when i started college, i originally did pre-med and i avoided nursing because at the time the dotcoms where a better career. i make about 60k a year and i live in the bay area, where a 1 bedroom apartment on the cheap side cost $1100. average house price is 700k. my fiancé is a nursing student and the offers she has seen from her friends in this area range from $67,910 - $250,000 (lots of plastic surgery centers here) for new grads. plus there are just more jobs and better job security in the nurse field. i don't want to go back to school to go the doctor route; however, i can go to the local community college and bypass more then half of the pre-reqs and all the ge requirements. should i consider getting an associate of science in nursing? and is it something i can get going to school part time? i have to maintain my 40 hour work week to support my fiancé.

once your in a rn program you will have a hard time working full-time regards to traditional work schedule. however, you may be able to find an online nursing program that would benefit your need for full-time employment. btw, imho you should consider a bsn, rather adn [aas in nursing] since you already have a degree. just a thought.

good luck!

0 Votes
Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
Are you kidding me??????????????? I have NEVER heard of such a thing. The nursing salaries I encounter are between $14-$25/hr. For an RN. If there is some place paying nurses $250,000 then they probably don't have many positons come open! As for going to school part-time, I don't see why not. I went part-time. It is hard to work 40 hours and go to nursing school though. I actually had instructors at my school tell the students that they "could not" do both. Nursing is incredibly stressful. Are you SURE you want that? The responsibility on your back is overwhelming. I am already thinking of what career I should switch to.

FYI; CRNAs can make the $250,000 range. Plus, the nursing salary range depends a lot on which part of the USA one refers to, i.e. in WA state a seasoned RN [not referring to only CRNAs] can certainly make well over $25/hr

;)

0 Votes
Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
I have been a nurse for 15 years and I would give anything to have done something else. If there is a job paying 250,000 give me the name I want that job. Nursing is stressful, full of alot of BS, but you can make a living.

CRNA ;)

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment