Deciding on Nursing (Advice Please)

[vanille]

I am in dire need of some advice. Here is my situation: I am 25 years old and married to a petroleum engineer. He makes good money (starting salary was close to 100k right after school). However his school debt is around 45k. I am in school for court reporting and already have around 14k in debt. I've invested 14k in debt plus almost two years in school. My interest and motivation seem to be fading, as I have no progressed as far as I should. (I should be done around next May, but I don't think I'll be done for at least another year - unless I REALLY shape up). My graduation date is dictated by how fast I can qualify for my licences which are around 225 words per minute, and I'm only at 110.

About 6 years ago, I wanted to be a nurse. I had just got out of school and went for my CNA. I finished the class, but did not take the tests to become certified. After my clinicals, I decided it wasn't right for me. Now that I'm older, I am having doubts. I wonder if I didn't proceed because I knew it would be a lot of hard work. If I was a CNA during my schooling, I would be paid little, for a stressful job. I wonder if now that I am more mature, if I am ready to make this decision.

I'm having a crisis though and am reconsidering my choice. If I pursue court reporting, I have the potential to make good money and someday own my own firm. Like I said, if I work really hard, maybe I could be done in eight to twelve months. But what if I regret it? My first instinct out of highschool was that I wanted to help people. I'm a very kind, empathetic person. During my CNA clinicals, I received high praise. If I do court reporting, I'm scared that I will be old someday and regret that my profession was typing and editing transcripts.

It doesn't help that my husband is now a professional. He's flown around the world, paid good money, seen as a highly respectable professional. He is a huge motivator for me.

My concerns about switching: Loss of everything I've worked for (debt+time), the nursing waitlist, low salary for CNA position, dramatic increase in final school debt (compounded with my husbands, it will be a lot).

I would love to do a four year program at the least. I would really love to work with babies ... but isn't that a competitive field? Would I even stand a chance? What could possibly give me an edge? Will having a CNA only land me in a nursing home?

Any advice would be so appreciated. I'm sure there are questions that I haven't even thought of yet. If you can see concerns that I should be thinking about too, please do tell!

[kdrm]

I'm returning to school at 41 for nursing after careers in 3 different areas, and I absolutely regret that I didn't go into nursing earlier. Does that mean it's the right choice for you right now? It could be, but it may not be. And only you can make the decision for yourself. It's hard sometimes to make a choice, but we only get to take one path at a time.

Is it possible to take a little time out of court reporting school and go back to it later without losing too much time or money? Finish your CNA maybe, or take anatomy and physiology?

The debt issue is real and heavy. You and your husband may find Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University (or just some of his books-check them out from the library) really useful.

I'd start by sitting down with several sheets of blank paper.

1. The first one is for pros vs cons of nursing. Try not to compare anything about it to anything else certain in your life at this point. Just think about positive aspects of a career in nursing vs negative.

2. Another sheet could be for nursing vs court reporting vs anything else you've given serious consideration. How do these interests line up in terms of stress, pay, fulfillment, flexibility.

3. Another sheet is for writing down some ideas about where you see yourself now, and in 3, 5, 10, 12, 20, etc years (you choose the intervals). This is about what you see for yourself. Your husband may or may not be there for a variety of reasons, so this one is just about what you see for yourself.

4. Another is for where nursing fits into the context of your life as it is right now.

5-8. Several sheets are for you to figure out. Write something down and then tear it up. No one else has to see it; it's just for you. But the physical act of writing opens up our minds in a way that thinking about something obsessively, or talking it over endlessly or typing it out on the computer just never will. Sit in a dark coffee shop or a sunny park. Do this over and over until you have a better intuition for where you want to go.

We do only get to take one path at a time, but it is not a straight and narrow path. Change is okay, now and in the future.

[jennys77]

My situation is slightly similar - I'm 34, hubby makes close to 200K and has 100K in student loan debt, and I make close to 100K and will aquire 40K debt once I am in the BSN program. But it is what it is. I'll make less money as a nurse and it's going to be tough going to school for another 2 years while having all the responsibilities of a family, but I can't see doing anything else. I have a fantastic job, but I hate telling people about how I work in IT, because it just isn't for me. Why didn't you take the CNA exam? I think you really need to figure out what stopped you. Would you rather be able to say you are a nurse or a court reporter? Both are great jobs, but only you know what is right for you.

[3rdgenRN2B]

Have you read my most recent post? When I finally decided to return to school (9 years after graduating) it was for paralegal studies. I loved the class, starting salaries were decent, and I did really well. After that 1 class I took time off to get married. After the wedding I returned to school, but decided to give my dream of nursing a shot. I had 1 semester of pre-reqs...

4 years and 2 babies later I'm trying to go back and feel really conflicted about which path to take. The paralegal program would be short (I already have an associates so qualify for the much shorter cerificate program), the program is well respected among employers in my area, and the classes meet in the evenings and/or online so there is nothing standing in my way...

But I can't stop thinking about nursing. That was my dream, and it still is. The pre reqs are all at night so that's not a problem. (I should add here that I have to work full time for benefits since hubby is self employed). However the actual program is offered only during the day and it's full time. When I first started pre reqs years ago they still had a part time evening nursing program. I know there is always a chance that they will bring that program back if there is increased demand, but what if they don't? What if I get done with the grueling pre reqs and get in only to have to turn it down? Will I have wasted more years pursuing something that simply isn't in the cards for me? Or what if I don't pursue it only to have them offer classes at night again, or what if hubby gets a new job with benefits (which he is trying to do) will I have regret for not chasing my dream?

I look forward to seeing what you decide... I am meeting with someone at my school in the morning to help me figure this out.

Keep me posted.

[kdrm]

i've had some more thoughts on your situation...and wanted to put this conversation out front again.

most people don't know exactly what they want to do. so many things affect our decisions family and money and time are probably the big three. and i would guess that most of us with "experience" have some regrets about some of the choices we made (or didn't make). yet we make the best choice at the time given the information available to us at the time. and years later, sometimes you look back and say "if i had it to do over again..."

two other areas a lot of people going into nursing seem to consider are cosmetology and paralegal studies. there are entire forums on trying to decide between nursing and you name it. so i've really been wondering for the last few days why? if we feel a desire to go into nursing, why isn't the choice simple?

as a species, we don't like to expend resources unless there's a predictable outcome so most of us weigh risks and rewards very carefully. paying tuition and spending 2-3 semesters to take the prerequisites knowing you may face a lengthy wait in your area, or a highly competitive application process, is discouraging. who wants to spend the time and money and then not even get in?

and then if you do get in…then there’s nursing school itself. intense. some people have described it as two to three years of boot camp. it’s normal to feel apprehensive. i’ve been through actual boot camp for two months (and i was a lot younger then) and i tremble at the thought of two years of sleep deprivation and being on the go from reveille to taps.

and then there’s actually being a nurse; lots of responsibility, but without the recognition and appreciation given to other medical professionals.

but the opportunities in nursing are tremendous! there’s the obvious med surg, ob, and critical care. but there’s also sales (pharmaceutical rep), law (legal nurse consultant), research…other readers on this thread should jump in here.

there’s also the chance as a petroleum engineer, you’re husband may work on the north slope of alaska at some point, or somewhere else remote and isolated. well bp and arco need nurses there, as well as the public health service that serves native populations in the villages along the northern coast. two weeks on, and then two weeks off for travel, volunteer work, whatever.

i don’t know much about court reporters, but i did spend nine years in a job typing for the postal service, and i left because i didn’t want to spend the rest of my life doing that. it paid well and had great benefits, but i couldn’t do it anymore. it works for some and doesn’t for some. it worked for me for a long time, and then i woke up one morning and all the research i’d been doing into nursing convinced me to take a different path. but i didn’t get there until i was 41. and i had even taken some of the prerequisites along the way, which i’m now retaking because it’s been too long. i do have some regrets, and i think i’m on the right path now. even i’m not one-hundred percent sure. most days i am, but some days i’m not.

[jennys77]

When I was going through the decision phase of nursing, I never talked to anyone. And because I never shared my internal struggle, I regard that as having always been sure about nursing since I first thought about it. But really, I wasn't sure at first. I had thoughts about if it would work for me, if I would be good at it, if my husband would approve, if I could handle it, etc. By the time I told my husband, it was a done deal. But in life there have been tons of decisions I've made that I wouldn't have been able to reach without other's input.

For the OP, I don't think you would be on this board asking the questions you are asking, if this wasn't a serious consideration. You haven't 100% said yes to nursing because you are responsible. You are a caring person that wants this to be the right decision for your family. It's a quality that will make you a great nurse.

My biggest upset lately has had to do with the "why" I didn't decide on nursing sooner. I hate that I took so long to make a serious choice, but what I've also realized is that I didn't believe in myself, and I didn't believe I was worthy of something so important as nursing.

I don't know what I am trying to say other than I encourage you to make the choice that is going to fulfill your life and cause no regrets. I strongly believe there is a reason why you are thinking about nursing. Maybe this nursing discussion is to rule it out, but I more believe it is to help you realize your destiny of nursing. Whatever you choose, it will lead you on the path of more decisions. Deciding to be a nurse is only the first step. Good luck to you!

[dkmamato3]

Maybe sit down and make a pro/con list for you ... what you ultimately would like in your career and what each of the job paths will provide for you.

When I was first in college, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I have an degree in accounting. I really like the profession and my prior jobs but it does not give me the personal satisfaction and "human impact" that I long for. For me this returns going back to school and establishing student loans again ~ student loans suck ~ but I am really really looking forward to getting started.

It is not an easy choice - do some soul searching on what you would really like to do long term...good luck with your decision.