Lacking Confidence

[CMitchell11]

I am a 27yr old woman plateaued in my current career. I have no formal education other then the Business Admin associates degree I initially pursued because it was the "sensible" thing to do. Short story: I don't enjoy business. I got through a year of FT class while working FT & decided to take break before getting to far into a degree/career I'm not interested in.

Here I am today 2yrs later, regretting my lack of education & time wasted with uncertainty.

I've been inspired to pursue nursing. I've returned back to my local JC to re-route my career & pursue the pre reqs for our local ADN program. All in all, I only have my pre reqs left and even that will take a year (including summer term).

Bottom line, I am 27. I have at least a year to go before applying to the program. I haven't even told my boyfriend, who's mother and sister are nurses. All he knows, I'm pursuing further education to better myself. Only my mother knows, and I've basically talked the idea down to "we'll see how I do with these science pre reqs". I continuously talk myself down in the possibility that it may not be for me. I am a what if person, although my gut tells me I will do fine academically & will thrive professionally-I still have this doubt of even getting into a program despite the lottery system here.

I am lacking the confidence to even tell others how strongly I feel about pursuing my dreams.

I am the only person in my immediate family to be close to earning a degree (not too far off from just an associates). I wasn't raised to value the importance of education or the idea of a career early on. My mom was a stay at home mom. I feel like I wasn't primed for life early on & I am still in many ways, lost and lacking confidence in education & career goals.

It brings me to tears voicing this on a forum....I am probably overthinking but I chose not to divulge my education goals with fam or friends because I don't want people to assume it's another "phase" i'm going through. I know I have what it takes & at this age I am prepared to take my coursework much more seriously.

If i'm already struggling with confidence & ability to thrive academically, am I setting myself up for failure? Is this feeling common & has anyone been able to relate?

[mcbn2u]

I can relate to this so much. I recently watched this video

and it has some really good points. She talks about pushing yourself to do things you're uncomfortable with. In your situation, telling you're family. I know it may be hard but it's kind of like jumping off the deep end. It's scary but in many cases you will be surprised of the outcome, I know I was. Before I even applied to nursing schools I thought I would be rejected from every school, even though I make good grades I was so tough on myself that it made me not even want to apply. But I pushed myself to do so and I got in! Pushing myself is what has really been helping me lately, it's like pressing send on that risky text, but once it's sent you can move forward from there.

Another thing I personally did was actually write down a list of your accomplishments and things you like about yourself, even maybe have your boyfriend or mother to do this. I know I thought "wow there's nothing really special about me" until I started thinking back on what I've done.

I don't believe you're setting yourself up for failure but I do think you should try these confidence "tricks"

I also follow another youtube account (sean dent) and he makes a lot of nursing related videos that have helped me in the past. I hope I've helped you a little!

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

I was 27 with only a GED. I went on to take my year of full-time prerequisites while working full-time. Then went on to get my ASN at a community college. 28 years later it has worked out very well. You can do it.

[PrereqTaker89]

Just dive right into taking classes. I'm 27 too and I was kinda nervous until I jumped in head first. Once you start studying hard and getting A's you'll get confident. I gaurentee it.

[Natasha A., CNA, LVN]

Trust the process. Give yourself some grace and walk out as a survivor. Break through the myth that external manipulation will give you internal happiness. Free yourself internally and everything else will follow. :)

[Nerdy Nurse]

You are never too old to pursue a career, let alone, nursing school. 27 is still young. I had classmates who were in their mid 30's and early 40's when we began the program. Give it a try and let your previous setbacks be your motivation to pursue something further. Nursing school isn't easy and it definitely isn't for everyone. There is a lot of pressure and the workload is intense. I do not mean to scare you, I'm just saying how it is so you know what to expect.

That said, it also offers a lot of opportunity for personal and professional growth. You can do so many things with a nursing degree and you are not limited to just one field nor one skill. You can be at a hospital, school, office, military, community, wherever! More importantly, it is a very rewarding career and is one of the most trusted and appreciated professions out there. It has a lot to offer, you just have to be confident and dedicated. You'll never know until you try. Who knows, it might just be the career that will complete you.

Keep us updated on how it goes. I'll be rooting for you.