Changing careerS

[iTyrizzle87]

Just curious if there are any other career changers? I am a former public school science teacher who has decided to pursue my original passion, which is nursing. I kick myself all the time because I started out as pre-med, then switched to nursing, and from there to math/science education.

[Peak Curiosity]

Glad to hear that you are going for something that you want, and not just settling for something you don't really care about. I know you can do it if you put your mind to it.

[ArtClassRN, ADN, RN]

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I was an engineer for almost 20 years. I got tired of always wondering when the layoffs were going to hit and the 'keep your resume updated' mentality. I was also weary of the uncompensated overtime and the travel (which was fun for awhile but got very old).

I've been a nurse for 4 years and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.

There are aspects of engineering that I miss and aspects of nursing that I'd like to miss but overall, my present nursing job (my 3rd) is a much better gig than were most of my (5) engineering jobs.

My experience exactly. My present nursing job (my first) is a much better gig than my previous 3 engineering jobs.

On nice Summer days, I do miss the opportunity to turn to some douche canoe slacker in sales and go, "Hey, it's a nice day, let's knock off early and play nine holes!"

But that is really about it.

ArtClassRN said:

If your main concern is job security or pay, don't go into nursing. They will never be able to pay you enough and you will be miserable.

My main concern is job security and pay. I'm in a pretty secure situation with bumping rights and they pay me very well.

[PG2018]

I taught school for three semesters after I finished college. I really had no direction but had good grades and the right subject matter classes needed to pass the PRAXIS exams. I had no pedagogy background, but I was offered a job, because at least at the time, there was a shortage of science teachers. It wasn't for me though so I quit and went to work for state government doing mundane things for our equivalent of the U.S. Dept. of Interior. I got to travel a lot though! Oh, and then eight years later I became a nurse.

[cgambino70]

I am 43 and applying to the nursing program Oct 2014. I left a very well paying job that I was at for 12 years in sales management. It came to the point that I wasnt happy with what I was doing and my wife has been very supportive. It was tough because of the financial obligations. Leaving a corporate job to do something that means a lot to you, is something you cannot put a dollar amount on. I just finished my prereqs with all As since my last schooling was based on finance, I am now working in the health field in plasma donation. It is a great pharmaceutical company and I know we are helping people. I know I made the right decision to leave, but it was the scariest thing I have ever done. In 4 semesters I will be an Rn and who knows where it goes from there.

[danlee]

Mine is sad but typical

I did ba psych ..no job

I couldn't even support myself sometimes I made 5k a year but I got my students knocked off due to debt reduction

I decided to go for nursing to get a good career in psych nursing.I first read books on science and math for a year.then did his science and math.

Then I got accepted and my life has been shattered over and over. In the program for 3 years I got all A marks. But my mom died i n term 3. I got bullied / hostile environment till I left clinical to ask for a new class.then I got bullied by the school for making a claim against students and teacher.my uncle also died during this term.then I got a new great supportive clssd and did exceptionally well.

But still I was so angry at the school..I had many arguments.25 meetings with head.got yelled at by many teacher.had to appeal.grads and rewrite quizzes...it was total.hell till my last teacher faled me in clinics.I gave meds without her checking.I was put on a learning contract..I breached the contract when I was asked by my nurse to discipline pt ..the patient complained and since I was on contract I got kicked

I got acceptance into a LPN program but wonder if I'll experience the same or will graduate only to not get a job

I'm 49 and have been going through this for 20 years now..program.after program

Yes I made really bad choices that cost me a very great deal

[EP, RN]

Another engineer here...moved to Michigan in 2010 and good luck getting a CE job here then. Bounced around a couple of years doing anything I could before applying to nursing school. Wished I would have done it ten years ago.

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

Dewman said:

My sad but true advice is to NOT go into nursing.

I was an engineer for over 20 years, and saw my last two jobs basically shipped to Mexico. I went back to school to study nursing, partially because I liked it, and partially because of the supposed job security and demand for nurses.

Well, there IS no demand for nurses these days - at least not for new nurses. Every hospital wants 1-2 years experience, but none are willing to GIVE you that experience. The only RN positions are ones that can be filled by an RN or an LPN, in long term care.

In my last position in LTC, I had responsibility for 35 patients. I called it "McNursing", because there is no way to provide quality nursing care for that many patients.

I didn't go to nursing school for this. My time in nursing school seems to have been a waste.

I'm going to trump your advice and tell men out there that they SHOULD go into nursing. We are underrepresented and need more in the profession.

I'm sorry to hear that you, Dewman, have been dealt such bad luck. However, my experience was different. I left the legal profession after 10 years to start nursing prereqs. I graduated with my BSN and was called with a job offer an hour after the ceremony. That was 2 years ago and I have since enjoyed steady employment. I was well aware of the tough job market, and planned my job search accordingly, opting for a job at the hospital affiliated with my university instead of heading to the big city with many schools surrounding it. I live in a huge metro area as well, and competition is indeed high. I wanted to shed the 'new grad' umbrella over my head ASAP and I succeeded.

Your experience is not uncommon unfortunately, but neither is mine. Let the guys out there make up their own minds.

There ARE jobs out there for new grads, you just have to know how to find them. And one key word to remember: network! People like to hire people they know. If you have a chance to get a job where you do clinical, an externship, or your capstone, take advantage of that! Management is more likely to hire someone they have seen in action over a blind applicant.

Kudos, Paco.

I graduated into the swell of the new-grad surplus and yet managed to find a job (which admittedly paid terribly, offered limited experience, and was far from home). Over several years, though, persistence led me to a solid gig -- much more solid than any engineering job that I held.

Dewman's statements are simply not true in their absolutist extremes.

Nursing can be a very good gig.

[Kevdewd68]

I'm 45, retired 4 yrs ago from Navy, and starting nursing school later this month. I hope that there isn't a lot of age/gender bias out there when it comes time for me to find an RN job.

Kevdewd68 said:

I'm 45, retired 4 yrs ago from Navy, and starting nursing school later this month. I hope that there isn't a lot of age/gender bias out there when it comes time for me to find an RN job.

Gender bias, none.

Age bias... [crickets]

[sky888]

I love nursing, it's the best decision I've ever made to switch career, from music to nursing. It's never too late to pursue our dreams. I'm already half way through my program, it's so worth it :)