anyone leave high paying 1st career?

leenak · May 17, 2011

You may not *like* your job but unless you really detest it, I'd consider just standing pat. Even if you hate it, I personally could put up with a lot for a high-paying job.
Much success, whatever you decide.

My personal view is that life is short and money isn't everything. Spending 20-30 more years in a job you hate, no matter the pay, just doesn't sound worth it to me.

buddiage · May 17, 2011

Honestly, you aren't going to know if it was truly worth it until you become a nurse, and some people can't imagine NOT being a nurse despite the fact that their job frustrates them.

IMO, if I were you, the idea of more money sounds good. I'm in a situation where I am almost done with a divorce and I'm on my own. I hate living in an apartment, miss my house with a big ol yard.

What I've learned in 3 years of nursing is:

I aboslutely am smitten with some aspects of being a nurse.

My attitude at my job I think has enabled my survival there, and I can actually enjoy aspects of it. I think this applies to any job though.

My favorite part of nursing is patient education.

My least favorite parts of nursing is jumping through all the 'bs' hoops that supposedly make pt care better. These thoughs race through my mind as I become a slave to the computer and not in with my patient. I also don't like the nature of health care which is 'do more with less.' I hate that I feel like ultimately EVERYTHING rests on my shoulders and therefore if anything goes wrong, it's my fault.

The floor you work, the work culture on the floor you work will have an impact on how you feel about your job too.

This is just my :twocents:

hopefulwhoop · May 17, 2011

Don't do it. Nursing's not all it's cracked up to be. Trust me.

mom2a1c2 · May 17, 2011

I'm 42 and starting a weekend program this July at the community college. I've been working on this for 4 years. Previously, I was a sales manager for a very large, corporately owned television station...and very well paid. But, I got so tired of being a slave to the inanimate corporate entitity....I had very little personal satifsfaction. So I left, had 2 kids who are now 2 and 4 and I work part time for a company that hires independent contractors to work from home. We cut all our expenses as much as we could...1)no car payment, I paid cash instead for some basic transportation, 2)the most basic tv package (and that's about to go, too) 3) no more $75 haircuts, now I go to Great Clips, and I bought clippers to do the boys myself 4) no more eating out....etc etc....

Yes, it's a sacrifice, but in the end, it will be worth it.

There are several companies that hire people to work from home...the one I picked is very flexible, I work in 1/2 hour increments, and I work when the kids are sleeping at nite and napping during the day. I make around $15--17/hour...I know that's not a ton of money, but I don't have to get dressed, pack my lunch, pay for gas, waste time commuting and I don't have to pay daycare. PM me if you want more info on the company.

Good luck!

dragn2623 · May 17, 2011

i have dreamt of being in the nursing field for years. i have pre-reqs back to 2003. i was accepted into rutgers nursing around that time also. i didnt take the plunge and decided to give my current career (computer programmer at an investment bank) more time. (i graduated college in 1996. ). i took a break to have children and now have 2 who are 5 years old. i took micro in 2009.
i really want to change direction but we would need to live off of savings for a while, husbands job can't get us by alone. is it worth taking loss of (most) of my income - i could apply for scholarships or get a part time job if i could handle it along with children and studies..
in this current financial climate, i would not be keen on living off of savings. you need to have an emergency fund, plus if something happens to your husband's job, you will be up a creek. do not deplete your savings, try and find a way to supplement your income. work as a secretary in a hospital, pca or something. i worked ft and went to school ft. i do not have children and my husband travels alot for business, so i have plenty of time to study, so i can't give you any advice on how to balance that.
should i just move on and readdress down the road if i am out of a job? some options i have considered are
1. school all weekend in addition to 55 hour per week job. (limited time with children ) there is a part time associates program here, still working on prereqs.
from what i hear asn programs are going/are obsolete. many hospitals only hire bsns now... even if they post in their job req. that they will look at asn. go for the higher degree, it will help you in the long run.
2. resign, work on pre reqs and spend time with children for a year then apply to second degree bsn at public university
see my above comment about money. if you can financially afford to, then fine. however, i would be cautious ofjust leaving and not having some source of income. money is not everything in life, but you need to be careful as well to not incur a tremendous amount of debt.
3. apply for msn in clinical nurse leader for this fall at private univ (80k for program about!)
i have no advice, someone who has this degree will be able to tell you if it is valuable to your potential career.
is there anyone that did something similar or could imagine doing that? i am 37.

mind you, some of the other posts have told you the job market for nurses is not so hot right now. it's extremely hard to get noticed and currently the market is flooded with nurses. so you will most likely not be employed immediately once you get out of school unless you have connections.

i would go with you heart in whatever you decide. no one on here can tell you the best route for you and your family. so keep what people say on here in perspective. i have embarked on a similiar path as you. i wanted to become a nurse and i went to school to become one. however, once i take a nursing position my salary will be cut in half. is it worth it to me, i think so. i won't know till i do it, my ultimate goal is to be an np. if the nursing career does not work out, i will work till i can re-enter back into my current profession. whatever you do, don't burn your current professional bridges, you may need them or have to go back to them.

i only walk this path in life once. i don't want to be 70 and wished that i had done something different. it's up to you to decide what is best for you. best of luck to you and your decision. speaking from current experience. it's not easy, it's scary however, i am pretty sure it will be worth it and if it isn't it still is a learning experience and i wont have regrets.

calitotx · May 17, 2011

Yes, I did. I wanted to get the experience of being around nurses asap so I quit and decided to be a Unit Secretary while finishing my prereqs. Apparently the floor I work on is the most miserable floor in the whole hospital. You can clearly see they hate their jobs and for a split second I regretted my decision. I started talking to nurses in other areas and feel better but my first day was horrible. Everyone on my floor was rude and miserable, well almost everyone. I hate the job I have now, but I am sticking it out so that when I do finish school I can network my way into a department that actually has decent people.

theantichick · May 17, 2011

One more note, if you want to find a way to merge what you currently do with the medical profession, look into Medical Informatics. It's an option I'll be considering at the point I'm choosing my Masters' program. It's not patient care, but usually they want a background of patient care, as well as computer systems training and/or experience.

One of the great things about Nursing is that there are many specialties, with varying levels of patient interaction.

As far as which way to go about getting your degree, get the higher degree if you can, but only you know what you can handle as far as working & school. My job has been incredibly flexible with work from home arrangements, or I couldn't have gone to school. My kid is older (14) so she's being fairly self sufficient and is supportive of my goals.

It can be done, and if it's your calling then do it, but be realistic about the job opportunities in your area, and realize you may have to relocate or travel to more rural areas to find work.

frogdream · May 17, 2011

I suggest finding a job in a major hospital where you might want to work as a nurse someday. I came from Finance, lost my job, decided to pursue nursing school, was hired in administration in a great hospital, once I finished school, I was hired as a nurse and am very happy. So far the only classmates that have found jobs are the ones who were already working in hospitals as CNA's, or administration. I attended a weekend-evening ADN program and worked full time. I have no children and nursing school was all-consuming. I am now working towards my BSN online. I took the longer route, but you need to know that eventually you need the BSN these days.

LTCangel, ADN, BSN, LPN · May 17, 2011

Nursing is hard! School and then the work afterward, but it is also very rewarding on most days. I wish you luck in your endeavors and I hope it is all you want and hope for. :up:

onedayitllbeme · May 18, 2011

Thank you so much everyone for your feedback! It is a lot to think about for sure. It is so interesting that the responses are all over the board, from definitely to no way. Does anyone know how to go about any of these suggestions?

1 - Become a CNA, this is a degree also,right? how much are they paid?

2 - shadow a nurse? I volunteered for a while and it was kind of a lonely experience. first on an obgyn ward and there were hardly any patients and i was doing like sorting papers in empty rooms. then on an in-patient floor which had more going on, but no one guided me too much on what to do.

3- Get a job in a hospital with no experience?! i work in the computer field in finance and all ths hospital jobs want someone with medical studies or some sort of previous background in the field.

Thanks everyone!

Stacy