Change of Major (Stressed - Needing Advice)

maddiem · Oct 29, 2013

I would highly encourage you to go into the nursing field! I was a computer science major and I decided that I didn't want to spend my whole life sitting at a desk coding and programming...lol. Almost everyone changes their major at some point, so don't feel like you're alone! Its better that you know what you really want to do now rather than after you get your degree. Nursing school is hardcore though, and it can get VERY stressful. But you just have to push through, work hard, and don't give up! You're going to feel like you're not good enough or smart enough some times. Pretty much every nursing student I've ever known has had those feelings. So don't let them get to you too much. I would talk to an advisor at the college you want to attend and talk about prerequisite courses that are needed for the program. Good luck!

Cg37387n · Oct 29, 2013

Quick Question, would it be smart to start at my community college? Not to bother you about this..

maddiem · Oct 29, 2013

@Cg37387n No problem! Ask away :) And yes, it would be a great idea. Even if you decided later on that you don't want to get your ADN (Associates Degree in Nursing) and you want to get your BSN (Bachelors of Science in Nursing) instead. You still have to take the same prerequisites and its wayyy cheaper to do it at a community college.

I don't know how much research you have done on nursing degrees. But an ADN and a BSN will both get you an RN license. The only difference is that a BSN is a slightly more advanced degree and more and more hospitals are starting to require it. But that fact varies on your location. I'm from Chicago and almost all the hospitals require a BSN to work there. But obviously, hospitals aren't the only place nurses are employed. In my area, most ADN nurses work in long term care facilities.

ADN programs are slightly easier to get into because most of them only look at your prerequisite GPA, not your cumulative GPA. A BSN program will most likely look at your cumulative GPA. I'm doing an ADN program and after I get my RN license I plan on going right into an RN to BSN program so I can get my bachelors. My personal opinion is that you should do that. Its much cheaper than getting your nursing degree at a university!

Cg37387n · Oct 29, 2013

@maddiem Currently I'd be going to school in upstate NY. I think I will get my ADN then get my BSN, then ultimately my MSN..

Someone told me it's counterproductive to become a Nurse, then go into Pre-Med. I always wondered why.. but yeah, currently my GPA is a 3.3, but I have had outside factors that have effected it. I really hope that I won't regret this later on.

maddiem · Oct 29, 2013

@Cg37387n 3.3 gpa is not bad. As long as you do really well in your prerequisites courses it will go up significantly and you will have a competitive application. But I am confused about one thing...So you want to go pre-med ultimately? Because if your ultimate goal is to become a doctor, then yes, becoming a nurse would be counter productive. There are WAY more courses required to just be able to apply for med school than there is for nursing school. Not to mention you will be in med school for 4 years and then you will need to do your intern year and then residency in your specialty. So you're looking at 7-8 years for med school.

jwheeler7791 · Oct 29, 2013

Hello Everyone,
I am brand new to this website, and I am currently a student (male not that it matters..) at Pace University. The shocking thing is I am in Accounting and Taxation.
The main reason I am stressed is because I am wanting to switch my major to Nursing. Which ultimately means, I will more than likely transfer to my Community College (Orange County Community College - NY) and hope to get into the program.
I believe it is the AAS in Nursing. Not quite sure, but I have been thinking about this for a very long time.
With Accounting, I find that I am just WAY too young to be sitting behind a desk for the rest of my life. I have talked to my mom, and she stands behind me no matter..
If anyone is willing to give me advice, I'd be glad to hear it out.

Heya Cg37387:

I'm a dude too (almost 38 years young!) who switched careers from the Computer Science/Programming arena to nursing about three years ago. I understand your logic about not sitting behind a desk for the majority of your life, since that is ultimately what challenged me to get out of the software development field. I got sick and tired of living in a cubicle for 14-16 hours a day, and then (sometimes) crawling under my desk to a makeshift mattress made out of my coat to sleep.

Keep in mind that wasn't an everyday occurrence, just during the dot-com boom of the late 90's and early '00s. But you get the picture I'm trying to paint ...

In those times that I wasn't forcing myself to play 'sleepover' under my desk, I would trudge myself home and wonder if my only contribution to this world would be some software/hardware that my company du-jour would use to increase their corporate profit. I wasn't making any sort of difference; I was a number in an Excel spreadsheet for project management to tout in an effectiveness seminar!

I decided to get out and make my mark as a nurse, and no matter how cruddy its been to re-track my education from engineering to the health sciences, I don't regret it for a single moment. I am still a student nurse, but just in the few months of clinical experience that I have been exposed too, I feel more "connected" towards something that I want to do versus something that I feel forced to do.

I was made to help other people. Yes, its not always glamorous nor does it always smell nice -- but I'm interacting with humans rather than silicon circuit pathways or software routines. Humans will remember the small impact I've made on their lives if only for a few weeks, but that's better than what I would have received in the software industry.

This is after having some major input into such things as the first commercial Internet browser (Netscape Navigator), the first version of the video game "Unreal", and the first Pentium processor from Intel. None of that means squat from what I have received by the small clinical experiences I've already had.

Is it sugarcanes and roses? No. Is the job market awesome right now? No. However, by the time you are done with your program the job market might change. Nobody knows what the future holds. The only thing I know is that I am more enthused about what I do for a living than I have been.

Sorry for the rant. I hope you enjoy whatever choice you make.

Da_Milk_of_Amnesia, MSN · Oct 29, 2013

I'm from the same area as you dude and let me let you in on a little secret. While getting your ASN is the quickest route to becoming a RN, it is probably not the best idea. Unfortunately, most of the hospitals in our area have become more strict on applicants having a BSN. I know of one hospital specifically which is no longer accepting new grads from a another local program. To be honest, your best bet is to go to Mount Saint Mary's and get your BSN and do it in one shot. There's a lot of other advice I can give you. If you want it, PM me.

Cg37387n · Oct 29, 2013

@Da_Milk_of_Amnesia I can't email you since I don't have the 15 posts requirement, the only thing I am stressed about is not being able to get in MSMC. I really want the advice, so hopefully maybe you're able to PM me. I am really nervous because I just don't know if I have the ability to go.

theantichick · Oct 29, 2013

I am a mid-life career changer from I.T. to nursing. I will offer the advice I give everyone:

1. make absolutely certain you want to be a nurse. See if you can find a way to shadow a few nurses at their job. A lot of people get all the way to clinicals or even their first job and find out they hate it. If you're judging anything by what you see on TV, you're doing yourself and your nursing school a disservice.

2. If you can at all manage it, get your BSN right off the bat. Associates = RN but many hospitals now are wanting magnet status and aren't hiring ASN/ADN new grads.

3. Know that a nursing degree involves more work per credit hour than most other degree plans. For my 4 clinical hours a semester, I would spend an hour the night before at the hospital gathering data on my patient, then another 2 - 4 hours researching medications, conditions, and treatments and preparing my care plan, then be up at the crack of dawn for 12 hours on the floor. Oh, and a research paper each semester to boot.

4. If you're going into nursing for the money, be advised there are a heck of a lot of career paths where you'll make more money for less physical labor and grief.

If none of that daunts you, then go for it and good luck!!

Nahum · Oct 29, 2013

You should change. I changed from computer science to nursing. There's a quote I found recently on an ad:

"Life's too short to have the wrong job." --

Cg37387n · Oct 29, 2013

The only reason why I am considering Community College right now is because I ended up going to a very expensive school (56K) and it has made me realize that I cannot just waste my money like this.. I want to become a Nurse, and I can say that happily.. The only thing is, for myself I may have to start out small, like a community college, and then transfer. This semester at Pace, I have been very homesick, and not liking where I have been at, at all - So going to a community college, will help me so much. I believe it will give me the focus I need as well, because of all the external factors that effects us as students living in the dorms, or living with friends. I also want to kick ass on my Pre-Requisites, so I can actually get into the nursing program, and do really good, then Transfer to a really good Nursing school.

This has been so stressing for me, not because I'm changing my majors, but that I wasted 56K to finally realize what I want to do. I can't help but regret the decisions I made, because it was hell getting into this school, and finding actual money (loans, scholarships, and grants) to pay for it. It's just not easy.