Career switch - from 6 figure salary

J_W, DNP, APRN, CNS · Jun 5, 2004

Do what is in your heart, if this will make you happy, then go for it..making yourself happy is up to you, no one else will...not this kind of happiness, this is something that will make you feel good inside and that is a great reward....Yes it will be hard work, but after a year experience, you can work for agency or take a travel contract in your city, and make more money that way....As other posters have said, you will have to make sacrifices...Though I am not at the bedside anymore, I do miss it, I work with great NM's who are flexible with the schedules for their floors...Anyhow, good luck with you new career.....

Bumpus · Jun 5, 2004

I was making loads of money (>$100K) but very unhappy with my job as a Networking Systems manager. I worked with people that were driven very very hard to make objectives and would have sold their mother to make quota.

Fortunately, three years ago (at 49 years old) I had a major heart attack followed by a cardiac arrest two weeks later. I was introduced to some of the best people in the world, caring nurses, during my lengthy stay in the hospital and rehab. I then got layed off from work and with the aid of the dislocated work program decided to make a career change into nursing.

I sleep at night not having to worry about all of the fires at work. I work very hard but feel like my efforts help others. Unlike my old job. I work at a great place with some the the most remarkable people in the world. FYI, I am male and work with almost all females. It has made no difference what so ever - as everyone is professional. I have learned so much and feel accepted. None of this would have been possible without my wifes help, support and understanding.

Think it through carefully. I was recently asked to return to my old job and turned down the offer. I decided the money was not worth it. I later told my wife about the offer and she agreed with my decision - stating she likes be alive and that the job would have killed me.

Regards.

Bumpus.

Go for it. It worked for me but only because my wife is a great person.

Bumpus.

debx · Jun 5, 2004

Go ahead and get your nursing degree. Try nursing for awhile and see if it works for you. You will have duel degrees which could make you more marketable. You can always go back to IT if you have to.

I recently made the switch from Nursing to IT. I was a nurse for 22 years in all positions, Peds, ER, Med/Surg, Home Health, in management as well as staff. I found that the older I get the harder the physical labor was and I wanted to get into something less physically demanding. I got a degree in Computer Networking. I now work as a Patient Care Application Specialist in the IT Dept. at my hospital. I have the best of two worlds. I can still apply my nursing knowledge and I get to learn the IT aspect of the hospital system. I'm loving Monday-Friday. I actually have energy when I get home.

Although I was sooooo ready to give up patient care, nursing if very flexible. If you burn out in Peds, you can go to OR. If you get tired of OR, you can go to Home Health. If you hate your boss in Home Health, transfer back to the hospital. Unlike many professions, nurses that move around alot are awesome because they have a wide variety of experiences.

You have to do what's best for your family. They are more important than a job!

Drysolong · Jun 6, 2004

From reading the posts and talking with others, I see that there are many nurses who are in the wrong field. Perhaps, they chose nursing for the wrong reasons, or didn't understand exactly what they were getting into. I have just completed my first quarter of prequisites and can't wait to get into the actual swing of things. I am also changing careers.

I am pretty aware of what I'm actually getting into, but my main concern is graduating and getting experience. I personally prefer working nights, holidays, weekends, 12-hours shifts that represent a 3-day work week. I am a wife and grandmother with the full responsibility for raising one 9-year old grandchild. I've found that time off during the weekdays is wonderful for me and my family.

I know I am not going to like working with fellow employees who are difficult, condescending, etc., and that I may (will probably) run into this, but the rewards of patient care and working in a medical setting outweigh the various cons. It just depends on who you are and what you personally want to accomplish. With experience, I feel I'll be better able to choose nursing assignments that suit me to some degree.

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Jun 6, 2004

I know I am not going to like working with fellow employees who are difficult, condescending, etc., and that I may (will probably) run into this, but the rewards of patient care and working in a medical setting outweigh the various cons.

Difficult and condescending...what are you talking about :chuckle :chuckle . Isn't that wherever you go, regardless of your job? You are absolutely right about the rewards: as long as you find your niche, the rewards are tremendous. :)

linfull · Jun 6, 2004

Last year, I made the decision to return to school for nursing. I had never talked with a nurse or read much about nursing. I have always admired nurses and have a deep love for science, yet was always a bit squemish so I went into medical records. I was hoping our local college would be bringing their nursing program up to our town, but I was told it would at least a three year wait because the test scores at their other campuses were so low that their license was suspended. So....after reading all of the posts here for about six months, it has given me pause. I have learned that nursing is not a bed of roses (of course, not many jobs are). I have such a respect for nurses (especially hospice nurses) that I was under the belief that everyone felt the same way I do. I have learned otherwise!! I work from home as a medical transcriptionist (very little office politics, very few unhappy clients). Lots of flex time. I can make approximately $22.00 an hour on up depending on speed. I live in a small midwest town so that sort of money is good. The RNs at our LTC make approximately $18.00 an hour. I have no benefitis (husband does). No overtime. No holiday pay. I work every weekend. But... I am home every day. The company I work for is great. They believe very much in family. I must have all work turned around within 24 hours. They don't care if it is done the moment I receive the dictation or if I am done the 23rd hour. I also must be perfect. Those are the rules along with no gossiping and agreeing to help my fellow workers to become better at their job. My boss says, "I will not fire you for making a mistake. I could not look at myself in the mirror if I did that. But I will fire you if you are purposely hurting another worker." He is a wonderful man. I spend every holiday with my family. I may be up at 5 am and start typing, stop for presents and dinner and then type at night. I take my son to school every day and pick him up. I am involved in PTA and don't have to miss any school functions. I have wanted to work for hospice or LTC. I am beginning to think I can work from home and still do some volunteer work for hospice or LTC and satisfy that inner need for me to help people. I figure the next three years will be a good time to really think long and hard about going into nursing. I guess time will tell!!! :confused:

marys · Jun 7, 2004

Hi BonemarrowRN..

You are absolutely right. It took quite awhile to reach that level in IT. When it is gone, there is definitely a panic that sets in. But you deal with it.

I think that there is soo much potential in the healthcare field, and you have to work at what you do. I get so tired of people thinking that success or money is supposed to be handed to you or that you are entitled to it without working for it. Now that I have vented.... Success it what YOU make out of your life.:)

mar

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Jun 7, 2004

I get so tired of people thinking that success or money is supposed to be handed to you or that you are entitled to it without working for it. Now that I have vented.... Success it what YOU make out of your life.:)
mar

My husband is one of those people. He seems to think 'when' we have more $$, all of our problems will be solved :chuckle :chuckle NEWS FLASH, I'm going into nursing Ed!!! Obviously not for the $$$$. I also didn't think things were so bad, but our big issue is $$ for school. also he feels like he never sees our daughter (which is untrue). He's a paramedic supervisor, works 3 12 hr shift, with OT. He has no idea how lucky he is to see her as much as he does. Most daddies (and I guess mommies too) work 5 days, 8+ hrs a day. It's not so bad. :)

June55Baby · Jun 7, 2004

I agree Casper. No matter how far in advance I made my schedule or how carefully I planned, it seemed something always was came up on the Saturdays or evenings I was scheduled to work.

Even though I worked part time, had great hours and wonderful co-workers, I missed lots of ball-games, a recital, taking my kids to birthday parties, etc., etc., etc. I also had to work holidays and that included Christmas or Christmas Eve, Easter, and Thanksgiving. My family learned to be flexible about when we celebrated holidays.

Its a trade-off... there's no utopia.

Now I have a Monday through Friday job with no weekends, hardly any nights and no holidays. But it took me so long to get here, my kids are grown.

If I had it to do all over again.... I'd not change a thing. Nursing is all I ever wanted to do and I knew the weekends, holidays, and nights were a part of the job!

Nursing is a wonderful profession and I wish you much good luck!

PrincessDingaling · Jun 7, 2004

My roomie is a Nurse, and I have learned so much from her. She works per diem in 2 hospitals (Yale New Haven and NYU Medical). She makes her own schedule at both. She works at New Haven when she wants to visit her parents once a month for a week. She works at NYU every other Saturday night. I cant think of any other job that could permit this.

And, about Holidays and weekends.....I personaly dont know anyone who doesnt have to work on at least 2 Holidays a year. My cousin, who is a waitress, has to work every Christmas! Myother cousin (I am Greek, I have 100 cousins lol), who is in Computer Science and works for AT&T must switch every year....he gets either Christmas or New Years Eve off. My exboyfiend was in sales. Same deal with him.My current boyfriend, a musician. I was/am an actress prior to this. I worked just about all holidays! (The show must go on! )

Ok, the money. Starting range here (granted, this is Manhattan) is about $43/hour. More for nights, and more for weekends. Depending on where you are, you can still make a good living (I personally know nurses here making near $100,000). I just think its most important to feel good about what you are doing. To feel that you are living your potential, and to care about your work. If IT does not fulfill this need for you, I would personally switch.

:nurse:

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Jun 8, 2004

To feel that you are living your potential, and to care about your work. If IT does not fulfill this need for you, I would personally switch.

You've really captured the essence of this thread. And if everyone here (actually, all nurses in general) does not feel this way, maybe some of you are in the wrong profession. And if the $$ is so bad, what are you doing here anyway!!

My best friend switched careers from ad sales to nursing (she'll be finished school in Dec.) After 9/11 (and being stuck in the city with no way home), she decided life is too short to be doing something with little rewards. I think about that often, when you're at a job like that and you're stressed, compared to being stressed b/c your patient is about to die...hmmmm :confused:

Reena23 · Jun 8, 2004

I'm also thinking of going to school in the fall to become a RN. Right now, I'm an Office Manager and I'm 23 with a 2 year old. And I'm looking to find a career instead of just a 9-5 job. Everyone's telling me about nursing. Is it that great? I know there in need of them. Do they pay great? Are they that flexiable? Can you choose what floor you want to work on? Like i wouldn't mind being on the labor and delivery floor? Please reply if you know the answers to my questions.