Am I "late"? 22 yrs old starting prereq Jan

[Aedyl]

To start a little about myself:

I have regretedly wasted about 3 years at my community college (entered in 2013) completing an AA. I left highschool with no ambition, no identity, poor confidence and low self esteem, and no clue on what I wanted to do. My selected major was Mass comm with the intention to become a Public Relations Specialist . I then transferred to FIU but then decided to go back to Miami Dade community college for nursing (my dream is to become a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner).

That being said, I turned 22 this month and I am currently enrolled in these courses for the coming spring:

MAT 1033

CHM 1033 +Lab

DEP

HSC

(Later- BSC 2085+Lab, BSC 2086+Lab, and I think an optional MCB)

I know i cannot change the past but im embarrassed abut my situation. I assume that I should have already been done and working by now. If I decided to have started nursing from highschool, I don't think I would be in this current situtation. I still live with my parents and I am not working since I plan on attending full time.

Assuming things go well (get good gpa, pass hesi, get accepted)

I will be 23 years old when I'm able to start MDC's nursing program in 2018 spring.

Is this late? If so, what are some tips on finishing classes as early as possible?

[callinshotz, RN]

I used to feel like that. Not anymore! I'll be 25 when I start my pre-reqs. I have a BS in Health Science, so I've taken most of them. I'll hopefully be 26 when I start and 27 when I graduate. Thank God for accelerated BSN programs for bachelor's degree holders. I just want to start working more than caring about my age.

[Aedyl]

Wow! Thank you all for your answers. I didn't think I would have gotten this much. :)

God bless you all.

[Moonstone8]

I am doing a career change. I started my prereqs last Jan at age 28. You're never really too late. There is no sense in beating yourself up over what you should have done years ago, you can't reverse time. Focus on now and how to get to your nursing goals. I felt the same way upset over it, I have 2 BAs at an expensive UC. I still have school loans but those experiences are helping me today with decision making and etc. I have 3 more classes to go 😊

[Idiosyncratic, BSN, RN]

Not late at all! Not even close! I'm 24(almost 25 ), and I'm entering my second semester of nursing school. There are so many people of various different ages throughout my program. I believe the youngest is 19, and the oldest is in her late 40's. So nope nope nope!

[MelodyTim]

After my high school, I started out with a university of Finance. After one year, I dropped. Then I started another university. One year passed, I dropped! Now I'm doing my community college years with switched major. Two years passed, guess what? I'm about to transfer!! I'm 22 now and I'm about to finish my preq. Nothing embarrashed here :))))

[rikki6695]

Don't be embarrassed at all! You are not too old.

I am 26, just started taking my pre-reqs and won't have my degree until just before I turn 29.

I spent some time in community college taking classes, trying to figure out what I wanted to do because I was too scared to pursue nursing (even though it is what I have wanted to do for most of my life). I wasted a bunch of time and money taking courses I didn't care about.

I also spent a lot of time out of school and working in various aspects of the service industry (mostly retail and hospitality). A lot of my time off from school was due to the fact that I was taking care of my parents financially and otherwise.

When I first got back into school to take my nursing pre-reqs, I also felt embarrassed about my age and also for the fact that I was too scared to be a nurse up until now. But I've been thinking about that a lot this past year, and I've realized that maybe it was better that I didn't start my degree until now. In the years since graduating high school and becoming a real-life adult, I've gained a lot of experiences that I now see will help me to be a better nurse.

Jumping straight into the job market out of high school taught me how to be a good employee by instilling good work ethics and habits. I learned how to make a good resume and give a good interview (every job I have applied to over the past couple of years I have been asked for an interview and given the job--I owe that to all of the trial and errors I have had over the years), and I'm sure that's probably the same for you.

I have also been able to mature, get past the "young 20s party phase", and learn the importance of job stability.

On top of the experiences and obstacles in my personal life that have taught me things, all of the things I mentioned above are going to make me a better nurse. Both in my skills as an employee and in the understanding, care, and compassion I will be able to give to my patients.

I'm sure you can apply these same things to your career. So don't be embarrassed about your age, be glad that you'll be a better nurse because of it.