I'm so stinking frustrated..........vent long

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I am making a career change and scared to death of making the leap. I have been talking to the recruiter at my local community college since January, finally confessed to DH that I want to change careers, seem like I'm getting all my ducks in order and today WHAM! I realized that things don't seem to be going smoothly financially so now I'm back to second guessing my whole stinking decision on changing careers. As I write this, I'm stuck waiting until Nov 19th to find out if I can register for the class that I need before I can be accepted into the nursing program at my local community college. I was hoping to begin the program Fall 08 w/my girlfriend and started saving my last pay raise just to put a little away knowing that I would have to take a bio before I could get into the program itself, well this morning I realized that my saving strategy hasn't gone as well as I was hoping and though I will have enough to pay for my course in the spring, there won't be that "extra" that I was hoping for. It is just tough financially being married w/2 kids in daycare (thankfully 1 will be in school next year) with all the normal grown-up expenses, house, utilities, daycare, and etc. that I'm starting to wonder if DH and I can afford for me to go back to school full-time even if it is for just 2 years. I know that I can take out loans to pay for school and intend to apply for scholarships to help but I am just feeling a pinch financially right now and don't know if we will be able to afford the program. I was thinking that if I couldn't get into the program for fall 08 I would just take night classes that would work for the program until Fall 09 which would give me another year to save but I spoke to my girlfriend today. We began to plan on attending together and use the buddy system to get us through. I have been under the impression that she is the one dragging her feet (she is planning on just taking out loans to pay for school and since she isn't really working much now, their household really doesn't need her income to function) and made a comment that if I didn't get accepted for fall then I would just wait another year and she said "you're not backing out on me are you?". Then it hit home, I realized that the reality is, she (at least from what it sounds like to me) doesn't need to take any courses to get accepted, it sounds to me like she has all the requirements for acceptance and it is me holding her back!! Now I'm just concerned that DH and I won't be able to afford this and that when I did the math to make sure we would have enough in the bank to help us get by, that I screwed up the math and am starting to wonder if we really can afford it. I'm also losing my confidence that I"m doing the right thing right now by changing careers. I would like to think it is just nerves again since the biggest hurtle I have right now is getting this last class in before I can start the program but I just can't be sure. I know that we will have to tighten up our speding while I"m in school (although I don't think DH truly understands that nursing classes have to be taken during the day even though I have informed him that at some point I will have to go to school during the day and will not be able to work full-time) and I'm o.k. with that, I'm o.k. with taking out loans and doing whatever is possible to save the money but it just seems like the money I have been stashing we have been needing lately (I have an extra stash account besides the money I"m saving to help pay for school) and I think that is what is so frustrating to me. My stash is supposed to be money that we didn't expect to have so it should have been easy to continue to save it but I have had to dip into it a couple of times now and that is hurting financially. I have been hoping to stash enough over the course of this year to pay for most of my younger sons daycare the first year I am in school and now it doesn't look like I will have enough. I'm just so frustrated right now that part of me wants to say forget it I won't bother changing careers I just stay in my comfort zone job but the other part of me says to re-figure the budget and see if I can cut expenses any more but I know that I am already working on bare bones to pay down debt so that we are in a better financial state once I have to quit working. And to top it all off, I didn't sleep last night so I'm at work just wanting to go home and go to bed. Thanks for listening to my vent, I feel somewhat better and after lunch I'll most likely sit at my desk and try to find "extra" money somewhere in the budget to stash or maybe look online for things that I know I want to get the boys for Christmas in hopes of finding that awesome deal right now (I save all year for Christmas so I have the money to get stuff now if I want to). Who am I kidding? I'll be looking for a way to redo the budget in hopes of finding extra money in there somewhere.

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It sounds like you are just a little stressed out over making a major life change. Just take it one day at a time and cut corners wherever possible. Don't let your friend make you feel pressured either, i'm sure she will understand if things don't go exactly according to plan or on her timetable, you have a family after all and that makes it difficult to stick to any schedule. Just concentrate on getting that first class out of the way and then go from there.

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I am making a career change and scared to death of making the leap. I have been talking to the recruiter at my local community college since January, finally confessed to DH that I want to change careers, seem like I'm getting all my ducks in order and today WHAM! I realized that things don't seem to be going smoothly financially so now I'm back to second guessing my whole stinking decision on changing careers. As I write this, I'm stuck waiting until Nov 19th to find out if I can register for the class that I need before I can be accepted into the nursing program at my local community college. I was hoping to begin the program Fall 08 w/my girlfriend and started saving my last pay raise just to put a little away knowing that I would have to take a bio before I could get into the program itself, well this morning I realized that my saving strategy hasn't gone as well as I was hoping and though I will have enough to pay for my course in the spring, there won't be that "extra" that I was hoping for. It is just tough financially being married w/2 kids in daycare (thankfully 1 will be in school next year) with all the normal grown-up expenses, house, utilities, daycare, and etc. that I'm starting to wonder if DH and I can afford for me to go back to school full-time even if it is for just 2 years. I know that I can take out loans to pay for school and intend to apply for scholarships to help but I am just feeling a pinch financially right now and don't know if we will be able to afford the program. I was thinking that if I couldn't get into the program for fall 08 I would just take night classes that would work for the program until Fall 09 which would give me another year to save but I spoke to my girlfriend today. We began to plan on attending together and use the buddy system to get us through. I have been under the impression that she is the one dragging her feet (she is planning on just taking out loans to pay for school and since she isn't really working much now, their household really doesn't need her income to function) and made a comment that if I didn't get accepted for fall then I would just wait another year and she said "you're not backing out on me are you?". Then it hit home, I realized that the reality is, she (at least from what it sounds like to me) doesn't need to take any courses to get accepted, it sounds to me like she has all the requirements for acceptance and it is me holding her back!! Now I'm just concerned that DH and I won't be able to afford this and that when I did the math to make sure we would have enough in the bank to help us get by, that I screwed up the math and am starting to wonder if we really can afford it. I'm also losing my confidence that I"m doing the right thing right now by changing careers. I would like to think it is just nerves again since the biggest hurtle I have right now is getting this last class in before I can start the program but I just can't be sure. I know that we will have to tighten up our speding while I"m in school (although I don't think DH truly understands that nursing classes have to be taken during the day even though I have informed him that at some point I will have to go to school during the day and will not be able to work full-time) and I'm o.k. with that, I'm o.k. with taking out loans and doing whatever is possible to save the money but it just seems like the money I have been stashing we have been needing lately (I have an extra stash account besides the money I"m saving to help pay for school) and I think that is what is so frustrating to me. My stash is supposed to be money that we didn't expect to have so it should have been easy to continue to save it but I have had to dip into it a couple of times now and that is hurting financially. I have been hoping to stash enough over the course of this year to pay for most of my younger sons daycare the first year I am in school and now it doesn't look like I will have enough. I'm just so frustrated right now that part of me wants to say forget it I won't bother changing careers I just stay in my comfort zone job but the other part of me says to re-figure the budget and see if I can cut expenses any more but I know that I am already working on bare bones to pay down debt so that we are in a better financial state once I have to quit working. And to top it all off, I didn't sleep last night so I'm at work just wanting to go home and go to bed. Thanks for listening to my vent, I feel somewhat better and after lunch I'll most likely sit at my desk and try to find "extra" money somewhere in the budget to stash or maybe look online for things that I know I want to get the boys for Christmas in hopes of finding that awesome deal right now (I save all year for Christmas so I have the money to get stuff now if I want to). Who am I kidding? I'll be looking for a way to redo the budget in hopes of finding extra money in there somewhere.

I know exactly what you are talking about!!! I am not working right now-stay at home mom but I am going to school right now-working on my Associates of Arts Health Administration and once I finish that I will work in either a doctor's office or a Admissions office in a hospital. I am on the wait list right now for the LVN Program at my Community College and will hopefully start either in Fall 2008 or Fall 2009!!! unfortuantley I was in such a rush to start school I did not really realize what I was getting into because not only am I getting a degree in something that i do not want to do but now I will have student loans to pay off on top of Nursing school:scrying::scrying::scrying:!!! and my husband wants to buy a house which means once I graduate from the school I am attending now-I will graduate in December 2008 and I will work fulltime until I start Nursing school and then I will hopefully be able to cut it down to 2 to 3 days a week!!! So i know exactly what you are going through, just remember that your going to become a Nurse and I am sure that you will be able to do it. Sorry about the long post but I have wanted to get this off my chest for a really,really,really long time!!!

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Hi guys.. I'm sort of in the same boat as you are.

Only I am a single mother with a Bachelors degree in Accounting, but since I dislike working in this field, I am going back to my 1st career choice --nursing. I got accepted into a nursing program back in 1992, but couldn't attend because I was going through a divorce and had a 3 year old and I couldn't quit my day job. Accounting was plan B.

I am completing my pre-reqs right now and plan on entering nursing school in spring 2009. I am biding my time for the next year to try to attempt the following:

See my son turn 18 and off to college himself so I am by myself at home with no-one to cook and clean for. Then I can go to school full time and work full time ( I have to work full time in order to pay all of my debts, rent, utilities, car loan etc which I know I cannot pay off by then. ) I am 40 years old and don't want to wait too much longer to get my nursing degree.

In the Chicago area, there is no night nursing program option, either part time or otherwise. All I know how to do is office work, which I can only do in the daytime and nurses aid, which I haven't worked at in 13 years but is the only thing I can do working 3rd shift. I have to try to get back into being a nurse aide by renewing my license and working part time (along with my fulltime job right now) until I get a nursing program acceptance letter. At that time, I'm hoping that my accounting employer will allow me to work partially from home on a laptop odd hours and from the office on non-school days while attending school for 2 years before they lose me completely. (otherwise, they'll lose my right away--I'm playing that "you need me card" since I'm the only one they have right now. Plus the fact that I"m giving them 2 years notice instead of 2 weeks.) If not, I need to quit my well paying accounting job to go to day nursing school and work full-time 2nd or 3rd shift --at half the pay. I'm really scared to make this move. I can't believe with the nursing shortage, they do not see fit to offer nursing programs to day working people looking to change careers --even if it took a few extra years than the traditional 2 year program.

Also, since I already have a degree, I cannot get grants and possibly some loans, so I am at the mercy of scholarships and non-subsidized loans (a new loan to add to my existing student loan).

I guess if God wants me (and you) to do this, he will provide the way.

Sorry for my rambling also, but this post just opened up my frustrations.

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