Confused about what to do with my life!

Vmolly · Oct 14, 2010

I think you should research the various fields available to nurses. If you are considering nursing then look into research nursing with a focus on biochem., nurse anesthetist, etc...

sunray12 · Oct 15, 2010

I don't see any reason why you can't apply to a pharm d program as long as your bsn includes the prereqs for the grad program. If you pursue chemistry and didn't get into a pharm d program you could perhaps do regular grad study in chemistry. I agree you need to do more research. Write down a list of the different paths you're interested in, look them up and compare what you find. Also talk to guidance counselors at your school and admissions officers at schools you're interested in and they may give you some useful pointers about how to proceed.

Abby Normal · Oct 16, 2010

I think it would be sad not to go to school for so many years and not end up doing what you really what to do -- whatever that ends up being. They are both careers with excellent prospects. Neither one would be a mistake.

Your parents obviously see the straightest path to what they want for you -- security and a nice life -- lies in nursing, but I'm sure that if you lay out a viable alternative they wouldn't object. And you will use some of the skills you gained in your present career -- how to meet deadlines, how to work with clients, how to organize a project etc. in your new job. It won't be wasted.

Both careers are stressful and demanding though, and they take awhile to get off the ground. So I'd strongly advise that you pester friends, or parents friends, or the university, or whoever you have to, and see if you can shadow a couple of people at their jobs, or at least sit down with them a couple of times to talk to them about all the good and bad things about their work. Get as good an idea as possible of what a few days on the job are really like.

For example, I have a friend who has a dpharm who works in a retail pharmacy, which she tells me is pretty much what the degree lets you do (not work in a lab or anything, that would be a PhD in pharmacology). The mandatory shifts are extremely long, and they have a huge number of prescriptions they must fill and they know, by the law of averages, that when you have filled thousands of orders that day, there will be a few errors. You just hope they are not serious. It is very stressful.

The "safest" choice of career is the one you are most passionate about and dive into. There are huge opportunities for chemists, in and out of health care. Many people go into it just because their parents think it's the safest, most lucrative career for them to go into! Like that irony?

Keep on with your classes, make a point of networking and researching and scouting out organizations and people, on campus, locally and nationally. Sometimes by finding someone who's doing just what you want to do, you can see it's possible.

But you should enjoy what you do. That's not too much to ask from your life.

iPink, BSN, RN · Oct 16, 2010

I'm 28 and a career changer too. I made up my mind that this will be my first and final career change. I don't want to look back and say why did I screw up a second time.

If pharm is what you want, then go for it. Do the proper research on both since you're not 100% sure. I did the research, spoke to a few doctors, NPs, non-nursing professionals, parents, and prayed about it. After all that, I decided I was going to be an NP and that's final. I look back now and say to myself I would have been an NP at my age by now if I had stuck to it when I first entered college (I instead graduated with an Information Technology & Informatics degree).

Look at it as your second chance to do what you really should be doing. From reading your post, you're leaning towards pharm, despite what family says. It doesn't matter if you come from generations of nurses, doctors, etc, if that's not what you want to do, then don't do it. But, I can't stress enough, do all the research before jumping in completely. Wish you the best.

heavenbound · Oct 16, 2010

I am 29 years old with a MSW degree and have recently decided to change careers again, and pursue a BSN with the intentions of obtaining an MSN in the near future. Nursing has always been an interest to me since high school, but entering college away from home I quickly succumbed to the distraction of college life. I am now back on track and at this point in my life, I now have to do what I want to do and what make me happy; instead of settling or doing what others think I should do. I have learned in life that if you do what you want to do according to what makes you happy, then you will appreciate it more later in life, even if it is contrary to what others think. The decision is ultimately yours and something that you will have to live with in the long run.

I recently began doing research on nursing school's in my area which also required me calling around to obtain information that sometimes the internet fails to provide. I called one school who has a recognized program who was still accepting applications for their spring enrollment. By the grace of God, I called Wednesday just to find out that their second deadline was Friday. I inquired about their application process and the items that needed to be submitted with the application. To make a long story short, I managed to get all the required items including reference letters to them by close of business on Friday. So, I now patiently await with my fingers crossed on my letter specifying my acceptance or rejection status into the program. It's time to fulfill my passion; way overdue. Good Luck on whatever path you choose to follow, just make sure it's something that you want to do:up:

CuriousMe · Oct 16, 2010

So I'm 30 and I decided to go back to school to start a new career. I work as a graphic designer now but I've just come to feel that it's not what I want to do with my life. I'd like to ultimately help people, not sell things to people.
I know I want to do something in the health industry but I'm not sure what. I started taking classes again about 2 years ago since my math and science skills were not strong and pretty much nonexistent. So I started from the beginning and now I'm up to precalc and college level chem and bio, getting A's. So now I'm at a cross roads with where to go next. My stepmom has been a nurse for over 20 years and my father has a nursing degree that he never used until recently, when he lost his job in an unrelated field but was able to find work as a nurse. The job stability and constant need that I've seen for nurses has made me wonder if nursing is for me. My stepmom keeps telling me that I should go into nursing and eventually be an NP. I'm just not sure about it because I don't really know if caring for a patient is what truly interests me. I also don't think I have the stomach for things like bodily functions, surgery, wounds, blood, etc. Maybe you become used to it?
I guess what I like the most is chemistry. So I'm leaning towards doing a biochem major and going into pharmacology but I still get the nagging sense that nursing may be a safer choice. I'd hate to go through college all over again to get another degree and not get into a PharmD program. I've been taking the pre-req's to get into a nursing program just in case but I'm going to have to make the choice to become a nurse sometime in the near future and I'm having a hard time figuring this out. My age does have me worried because I don't want to make another career change later in life. I'm pretty much ready to just stick to one thing for the sake of moving on with my life and getting on a good path towards retirement. I'm not looking back after this, no matter what I choose.
Just wanted to get this off my chest and see what people thought. Any recommendations for or against nursing? Would it be crazy to get a BSN but then try to get into a PharmD program?

I'd definitely try and shadow a pharmacist before making this call. While the course of study might be what you're interested in....the job itself might not be.