Venting-Career Frustration

I'm not discouraged, just extremely frustrated at the moment.

What am I missing? Is it this impeding for everyone? Is it where I live? Is it me? Is it God trying to tell me to forget it?

I've been interested in nursing for three years now. I had some personal issues to resolve and I did. I volunteered in a hospital ER three ago and loved it. I took a CNA program and had to drop because it interfered with my then job and the issues I needed to resolve.

Now I am an empty-nester with only the responsibility of a husband, a house, and two dogs; it all seemed wide open for a career change. I just signed up for CNA again (8-week condensed) and dropped it again, so I could be with my husband through the process and aftermath of his major surgery on May 22nd. My instructor wouldn't excuse me for that one lecture or allow me to do my skills demonstration at a different time, she asked me to have the date of his surgery changed! He's having an 8cm tumor and part of his stomach removed; it causes him a great deal of pain and GI dysfunction and that was the soonest they could do it and I won't ask him to put it off.

The pre-reqs for an ADN at 41 years old look like Mt. Everest, with younger people in my town having the high school and parental leg up (don't get me wrong, I am truly happy for them, there were some great girls in my class). The University is nearly impossible to get into, but I could get in before I'm 50, I'm way behind on math and science. There are no LPN schools in my area or I'd already have it; as I said, I don't have a lot of experience with math and science and I very much prefer bedside care.

I would go for allied health careers as a second choice, but we have radiology and that's about it. No PT assistant, no OT assistant, and I would go for medical assistant but I've been a secretary for 20 years and barf at the idea of office work.

Luckily, I can take the pre-reqs on my own time, but the downside is I can't even apply for the ADN until 2011. I think I need to move.

As I said, I'm not discouraged yet, but sometimes you just have to vent.