Help!! Nursing school

roser13, ASN, RN · Mar 13, 2017

You CAN go back. You're only 18, for pete's sake. I'm sorry if your family is pressuring you into early college courses and into a career of their choice.

The truth is that most 18 year olds don't know what they want to major in in college. So they take general education classes (that will apply to most majors) while talking to their peers, listening to their peers and figuring out what interests them. Your nursing pre-requisites likely will apply to other majors.

Nursing school is hard. The job of nursing is hard. They are hard even when it's your life's desire, let alone when you have no desire to be a nurse. If your family is an issue, I hope that you can find a way to sit them down and express yourself. If you can, talk to a school guidance counselor about your college options.

Isakolistic · Mar 13, 2017

You CAN go back. You're only 18, for pete's sake.

Exactly what I was thinking. Sooo many people end up getting their degrees later in life; even if you have to "start over" you will still graduate with whatever major you choose at the same time as your same-age peers. And like roser13 said, some of those prerequisites you have already taken probably will apply to your chosen major, so hopefully you won't have to do all of your classes over again.

Don't do something that you're dreading hoping that you will learn to like it in the end. If when you graduate you still don't like it, all that time/money/energy will have been for naught.

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · Mar 13, 2017

Oh my goodness, your only 18! Don't get trapped in a job you will hate.

What do you enjoy doing? What are your favourite courses?

take some general interest courses, talk to some career counsellors and find out where your interests lie.

if necessary, stop school, get a job and see where things go from there

N. Maren · Mar 14, 2017

Yep. Ditto to what the others are saying. I've always thought of it like this:

Either you can force yourself to go into something you hate, realize you are unhappy later on in life, and then painstakingly go back to school and try to shift careers, or you can try and shift gears as soon as you've identified the problem (which is no small feat itself!). Believe me, I sympathize with your situation. I have had many close friends go through what you are describing. Now, later in life, all of them have ended up changing their paths to something they like. Some switched more painlessly than others, but at least they are happy.

And yes, nursing school is hard and it can be stressful. Even when you start working, it can be stressful if you do not want to do it. I write this as someone who transferred from one science profession to nursing. (Also, believe me when I say that memorizing will not work through nursing school... they refer to nursing as an "art" for a reason).

You're a sophomore in college. It absolutely is not too late! I'm sure some of your classes will transfer (at the very least, the core should). I recommend taking a semester off and ask to audit (sit in) on classes that you may be interested in if your college allows that sort of thing. Do your research, talk to people in other majors. Running Start helped you bank away some time -- use it now to find out your passion.

All the best!

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Mar 14, 2017

You're still very young. You're obviously smart. You apparently have a supportive family. These are all wonderful assets. Can you talk to your parents and let them know how you feel? Most of us parents want our children to be happy, but we also want them to have secure futures - and a 'steady job' with adequate income is a big part of this. Before talking to your parents, do some exploration and be ready to propose some alternatives that they could agree with.

There are a lot of AN'ers who claim that "money isn't important" in a career choice. Srsly?? It is important in terms of decreasing stress and achievement of your life goals. That would be really hard to do if you're struggling to afford the basics. So... my suggestion is to take a look at other STEM fields. These professions are aligned with the economy of the future and are associated with higher income and career development. The educational requirements aren't easy - but you've already proven that you have the intellectual horsepower to handle it.

I have a family member who switched from pre-nursing to computer science in her 3rd year of college.... for very similar reasons. She just couldn't see herself dealing so closely with people for the rest of her life. It was an excellent decision. By age 30, she had obtained a master's degree (fully funded by her employer) and was making a 6 figure income.

The possibilities are out there - you just need to go after them.

Xxibsoc · Mar 14, 2017

Hi,

Thank you so much for all those replies. It means a lot to me. Like you guys mentioned, I explored the STEM and found out that the classes I took for nursing pre req can be used for that major. I also explored the Business field because I used to be in DECA when I was in highschool and I actually enjoyed that.

But, my parents will never want me to go towards business. All my siblings are in medical or computer science field and both of my parents are in medical field so I do have lot of pressure.

When I brought up to my parents that I want to do Business (human resources) they told me that it's not a steady job and I won't earn much like my sisters. I don't know, I always get discouraged. My friends also told me that " You already got accepted to Nursing school then why don't you just endure and finish it". They don't know what I have been through. Even though I get good grades on my class, it's not because I am smart... I never felt happy or sad. I did talked to my college counselor and they told me the same thing that you came far away so just finish the nursing school and become nurse.. that will change your mind.

I am nervous that when I get older I will regret the chances I didn't took...

Thank you.

hlh0904 · Mar 19, 2017

I admire you so much. You have the bravery, plus a serious feeling in the gut, to examine your career path now and make the serious choices of what YOU want to do. I am 43, and just finished my pre-requisites for nursing school, and am waiting for my approval for admission. Just like you, at 18, I did not know for the life of me what I wanted to do. My family steered me into finance and midway through college I realized it had no flavor for me. It was very dry, but I bit the bullet and finished. Got employed in the financial field, worked for an amazing hedge fund, got to work for major investment banks, plus got to work on a trading floor for commodities. It was good money! But everyone there was in it because it was their first love, for me it was just a job that paid bills. It wasn't a PASSION. Speed up later, I chose to go back to school and LOVED science. I always wanted to be a nurse! Your going to earn good money no matter what, because you are investing in yourself with your education. In life you will have work stress regardless, in any field. What motivates you is not just the money, its your interest in it. Talk to your parents, what they want above all is for you to be happy in your life. They want you successful AND fulfilled. Your life is just beginning, and it is going to be jam packed with experiences. It's YOUR LIFE! How would you like the first chapter to be written?

good luck, my thoughts and good vibes are with you!

OliveOyl91, BSN, RN · Mar 19, 2017

I wish they had the Running Start program when I was your age.... Gosh, that makes me feel old. I could take college courses in high school, but I had to pay for them (at a reduced rate). You have soooo much time to figure out what you want to do with your life and the running start program has afforded you the opportunity to branch out and figure out what you'd like to do. If you don't want to pursue nursing, that's your choice. The good thing is that many of the nursing prerequisites that you've taken can be used towards another degree. I've have many non-science majors in my science classes because their degree required them to take a science with a lab. You are already so far ahead of the curve, keep up the excellent work and do what makes you happy!

emily34812 · Mar 20, 2017

Nursing isn't ALL science. You need a good foundation, but heck if I can remember the Krebs cycle now that I'm in my final semesters. You can do many many things in nursing. Did you go into nursing only to please your parents, or did you have an interest in it?

If you're truly not interested in nursing at all, it is definitely not too late.

Gangsteroids · Mar 20, 2017

Option 1: Be miserable in nursing school and take up a spot that could be for someone who really wants to be a nurse.

Option 2: Talk to an adviser and the career center at your school about what your skills and strengths are, discover your interests, and then pick a major.

The best advice I can give is this- don't let anyone tell you that you do not have other options. There are always other options. This is your life, not your parents', not your friend's, but yours. You already have been through some tough classes and you know that you can tackle whatever comes next. It's time for you to do some soul-searching and make sure you're doing what is right for you at this point in time. If it's different later, so be it! Everyone changes their mind about something major, we're all human and it's practically a requirement. Also, do some shadowing of various career paths!

If you liked DECA and want to do HR, tell your parents that you'll do HR for a tech company or in the medical field.