advice!!!! on going from law school to nursing school and having a family as a nurse

samirish · Sep 18, 2011

My husbands best friend "Steve" is a lawyer. "Steves'" dad was a lawyer as was his grandfather. So, it was expected of him to be a lawyer. He is so unhappy it breaks my heart. He makes allot of money and has no problem paying the bills. He lives in a beautiful house. His family takes exotic vacations, and his daughter is in private school. However, he always wanted to pursue a degree in culinary arts. Thats where his passion lies and he loathes his career now. He is sweet, funny and a great guy all around but his unhappiness with his career is definitely noticeable. (I'm sure being broke would make him unhappy too if he ended up failing at being a chef, but I digress..)

Only you can decide whats best for you. It sounds like the job offer you have now is pretty solid. You would probably not have to worry about money or job security (seeing as how you have a good relationship with your employer). I guess it comes down to how unhappy would it make you to stay in that career over the long haul? Nursing school is a big time commitment and intensive (the reason why I waited to start nursing school until my kids were older and in high school) and nursing in general is not all its cracked up to be. Sometimes it feels like you are more a puppet playing the part admin wants you to play, more than the skilled professional helping sick people get well. You also are the first one to get blamed when something bad happens to your patient and one of the first people admin looks at when trying to trim fat from the budget.

I dont envy being in your shoes as its a very big decision to make for sure. Good luck with whatever you decide and congrats on finishing law school! If you do decide to pursue nursing school, Im sure you will be successful in completing that as well.

Best wishes to you.

leenak · Sep 18, 2011

I'm not a mother but my husband went to law school and had the same issue. He liked the work ok but didn't love it. He went for a different career and loves it.

I'm in a position where i make a lot of money and becoming an RN will cut my salary in half. The thing is, I don't care as it is what I want to do. So I plan to quit my job next year to go to nursing school.

spore2008 · Sep 19, 2011

Being that you don't find law soul-deadening AND you have a job AND you will be making a decent salary (to pay off those law school loans), I feel swapping careers may be financially painful for quite some time. Tuition for nursing schools can be quite straining. And for many new nurses, landing that first job in the current economic climate can be difficult. Do you have prerequisites to take? You could start there first completing the required courses while mulling this decision over in your head. How many schools can you apply to? Can you move? If you feel a need to help people, perhaps volunteer in a hospital. In all fairness, I earned a PhD in the biological sciences in late 2008. I realize after a decade of science, bench work is too isolating for me. I will be beginning an accelerated BSN program in January. Money will be very tight for us and we don't have a small child (yet) to take care of. Good luck.

2bEsqtoRN · Sep 20, 2011

OP,

Though I am not a lawyer I currently work at a law firm where I see the lifestyles of many lawyers. They are seldom home, are generally unhappy with their lives and the professional demands of the firm takes its toll. Assuming your law firm follows the same model as most if not all law firms, meeting some arbitrary number of billable hours is what you will have to look forward to. Working in an environment that DEMANDS at least a 60+ hour week (most of which is spent behind a desk) while putting firm interests first before your own life is never pretty. We've recently had a 30-something year old attorney pass away due to a heart attack while working for the firm in the comfort of her home. She was billing over 100 hours a week. Within hours following her death, the firm website took down her attorney profile withiout a whisper of condolences. When she was alive she lived for her firm and in return, the firm found her replaceable. Is such a lifestyle ever worth it? I personally do not think so which has led to my own decision to leave my law school aspirations behind for nursing.

I have noted a few things you said below:

I worked at this office for 3 years and I am just okay with working there, I don't love it and I don't hate it

When I get down to thinking about what would make me the most happy, I feel like it would be a NICU nurse.

I really think it is a career I would wake up and just love doing everyday.

I want to be able to have a career that allows me to be a mother. I don't want to be away from her all day, 6 days a week

I also want to have more children eventually.

I know I could get my nursing degree in 2 years, which I am fine with the wait.

This isn't about some attorney or firm looking forward to your employment. This is about YOU. YOUR happiness. YOUR satisfaction. YOUR family. YOUR life.

It is ultimately up to you on what you decide to do but remember this: you have one life to live. Who will you live it for?

Best of luck to you with whatever you decide. :nurse:

thenameismac · Sep 24, 2011

I say go for it. However, if there is any way that you could work at the law firm and get your degree then do that. I volunteered for almost a year at a hospital (I also have a fulltime, am going to school but no kids). Every Saturday I would go up to the hospital and volunteer for 4 hours. I got to see how the nurses treated each other and how they treated the patients. I loved every minute I was in the environment. I loved when I put on my scrub jacket and drove 30 minutes to volunteer. I know for sure that this is the career that I want. You should take small steps though. Don't go just up and quit your job because you realized your passion because it may not be what you thought. I've read on here about people who decided to just up and go to nursing only to realize that they are really queezy with blood and gag at the site of poop. I wish you luck in your decision.

Dre2416, BSN, RN · Sep 25, 2011

Take the job and start applying to nursing schools. That way you have money coming in, and you can figure out if you like going to work everyday. Generally it takes a year before you are accepted depending on what time of year you apply. Ask to shadow different types of nurses in your area so you can get a good feel for what they do on an everyday basis.

33762FL · Sep 25, 2011

I personally think the answer here depends on your financial situation. I'm not a lawyer, nor do I think I'd enjoy being one, but being a lawyer would be preferable to being up to my eyeballs in debt. Undergrad is expensive and law school is even more expensive. Do you have student loan debt? Does your husband have student loan debt? Nursing school is expensive too. If I were you, I'd forget nursing school for now until the family's debts are paid off, then work another few years in law to save for nursing school, so that you can pay out of pocket rather than taking on new debt. As you probably know, student loan debt is the worst kind of debt, you can't discharge it in bankruptcy and it can follow you your entire life (they'll garnish your tax refunds and even social security checks if you don't pay!)

clairbear4585 · Sep 25, 2011

Nursing is a calling. Don't ignore it. I agree with 33762FL in that you should wait until you pay off some debts. My program is loaded with mothers and women older than me (I am 26) and they are making it happen. Nursing school is not going anywhere within the next couple of years. Also, getting a 2 year degree while you already have a Bachelor's is definitely something to consider. It is cheaper and you find out if you are in quickly than going through the hurdles of a 4 year institution. Plus so many schools offer RN-BSN programs online you can always advance further if you decide that is the right path for you.

I have a friend who became an attorney. The only thing it has been good for so far is helping him pay for his expensive NY apt. He likes being an attorney but he hates the type of attorney he is. He followed money and not his calling.

Follow your calling and money will come. I am a firm believer in that. That is not to say you'll wind up rich, but you wil certainly always have your needs met. I truly believe that. Also, have you considered maybe looking into jobs involving a health and legal background? I've never done the research but maybe you should! Maybe it can be the best of both worlds for you!

Good luck and follow your passion!!!

AprilAnney · Sep 26, 2011

It's your life. You only live once. You only have one chance and a happy life. Don't reach the end of your life wishing you had done something differently.

If nursing is where your heart is- do that.

willowita, ADN, RN · Sep 26, 2011

In my anatomy class last semester there were 2 lawyers trying to switch careers and become nurses. Not 1, 2!! Maybe the money is good but if you're worried about not following a calling and a lifestyle that will allow you to be a mother then those are real concerns that no amount of money can make better. At some point money is not enough when you're not allowed to see your kid grow up or you're miserable about what you do. Maybe you're not there now but will you be eventually? If the answer is yes, and that's something you can't live with, plan on an exit strategy.

I don't know your financial situation or how far into the nursing school thing you are. If you have debt and you need to start over, then be a lawyer in the meantime to save, pay bills, and get those prereqs taken care of. I know you said you already got accepted into nursing school once but most nursing programs want your prereq science classes to have been taken within the last 5 years (check with your school). So if you took all the courses outside of that time, you will more than likely have to take them again. That might be a good thing so you can take this job, work, and take classes on the side.

Only you know how much you do or don't want to be a nurse. But growing up, I have to say that I'm glad I had both my mom and stepmom around for family trips, recitals, dinner, and to be my mothers (divorced, had 2 families). They were both in the nursing field. Maybe we could have had a nicer house and had better things but I wouldn't trade my childhood for stuff.