Advice on route to take

a BSN is nowhere near required to work as a nurse. That said, it is going to be very difficult to get a job in SoCal whether you have an associate's or a bachelor's degree. The job market there is supersaturated, they pay well, and you're going to need to be well-connected to get a job there without experience. If you work with an associate's, you'll likely be moving away from home to do so, and you may need to do so to get a BSN job as well.

You can't help others if you don't help yourself.

Are you willing to sacrifice your future/good job options to stay close to girlfriend/mom and dad? I am NOT trying to be condescending, but you need to take care of yourself. This isn't selfish, it's common sense. At one point in your parents life, they likely had to make the same choice, and you'll need to continue to make this choice for the rest of your life.

My husband and I were distance for THREE years before we even got engaged. We were this way because he was in PA school and I was moving for my job. We made it work. It CAN work if you are both willing to accept it. She may not, or you may not.

Being close with your parents is nice and all, but you need to make your own way. You can always move back home and find employment. I can't pretend to know the situation where you are, but if jobs are really short, you will be selling yourself short, and then NOBODY wins.

In the end, you must make the decision. I will say that I do NOT believe in giving up on education for girlfriends or boyfriends. I do believe in postponing things for the needs of your children, but that's really it. Parents may need care, but I honestly feel they need to be understanding and encouraging. I know this varies by culture, but in my culture, it's selfish of a parent to not want their child to better themselves. If they need hired help, they need to take care of that (and you could absolutely help them with that as well!).

@crazydoglady89

You make very valid points. It's not just my support group being there for me if I attend a CC, but it's also because I feel like I would have a better chance of finding a job where I do my clinicals. As for connections, I wouldn't say I don't have any. My gf's family owns several large uniform stores. They have made friends with many nurse managers lol.

There's an important factor missing here..... the difficulty of actually being accepted to a nursing program. There has been a great deal of information here on AN about problems gaining admission to a SoCal nursing program. So OP may not even have an option - he'll have to relocate in order to move ahead with nursing education.

@crazydoglady89

You make very valid points. It's not just my support group being there for me if I attend a CC, but it's also because I feel like I would have a better chance of finding a job where I do my clinicals. As for connections, I wouldn't say I don't have any. My gf's

family owns several large uniform stores. They have

made friends with many nurse managers lol.

I sense a "pay to play" situation here.

Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.