Did you have any other options?

Law school

It really got me thinking I honestly don't know what I would do....it sort of scare me in a lot of the ways I really don't know why it did but it sort of did

I was going to go into social work before I changed majors to nursing. decided I'd rather have a degree that let me help people without working for the government or even staying the US.

Since a lot of people choose nursing as a second career, then it goes without saying that there were other options. Before becoming a nurse I was a wildland firefighter in Southern California, an EMT in South Central Los Angeles, and a firefighter/EMT in the Sacramento area.

i tried elementary education. i decided to go back to nursing after a year of education pre-reqs... nursing is def. for me. :)

I would open a restaurant!

Jennifer

I kind of wanted to be a veteranian, but I can't stand animal cruelty and I didn't think I could take trying to help victims of that.

yoga instructor

Worked twenty great years in formal and informal education. Still work as a paramedic/flight medic in addition to nursing. Community work in the Jewish community (unpaid but near-full time hours!)

I like to clean and find it relaxing and rewarding. I enjoy helping my friends organize and clean their homes.

I could see myself becoming a cleaning lady. I would want to start my 5 star quality business. I would hire only the best and offer affordable cleaning using natural products. (you can see I have thought about this :)

Wow. I was seriously just thinking about this.. maybe i worked too much OT this week and am getting a little burned out but yeah... i've thought a LOT about this actually... *sigh*

elementary school teacher (love kids, love being creative, maybe elem art teacher?)

Open my own daycare? (again, love kids)

flight attendant (discounted/free travel)

interpreter (fun to know multiple languages fluently, useful)

Instead I'm a nurse (I actually love my job 90% of the time I swear), who has hobbies including

painting, drawing

playing with/hanging out with my younger siblings/nephews

travelling/vacationing

learned one language, going on two

ha.

My fiancee and I each recently graduated BSN. We are from South Florida. Nobody is hiring new grads here. SHe put her paperwork into several facilities and got 0 replies. She just interviewed about a dozen times for a medical office manager within a single week. 2 per day give or take (her profession prior to nursing school), and was courted by 3 of them strongly. She picked the best opportunity, and started. Not sure if she would even consider "starting over" into nursing at this point, considering what she has gone through in the past 3 months.

I had to finish two classes, so I am a bit behind her. I am faced with the same issue right now, and while putting my name out there, and talking to HR deptartments all over the area is doable, I am also looking at re-entering sales, this time, medical industry. I have an "in" somewhere, and will be going in shortly to sit down and talk. Waiting 3-6 months to become a nurse is not possible for me. That 20-30k I would leave on the table is more than lost opportunity, it is a stumble into the start of my new life, new family, and new direction. Nursing was an interest, and my life for the past 4 years. Now, I have to make it happen. By "it", I mean real life. The opportunity I am looking at would put me well above a seasoned nurse in my first year alone, while factoring in the minimum possible commission (even the base salary sans commission is exactly the same as a starting nurse here). The hours are M-F 9-5. Company car, laptop, blackberry, client list, expense account, go get 'em.

The funny thing is, for the past 4 years, I have had tunnel vision. I have been fighting to stay optomistic about nursing, to keep at the grueling school, the lack of funds, the general sentiment of overwork, respect issues, labor issues, legal issues. Since I considered something else, I immediately started looking into what also interests me, and what I was involved in years ago in my first career, restaurants. I love the business, the work, the atmosphere and the fun. I am already talking to people, setting up ideas, concepts and goals. Any current or potential restauranteurs in So Flo, PM me, OK?! Hahaha...

This is an exciting time in my life, and sadly, the most anticlimactic part thus far has been graduating from nursing school, and perhaps even lower than that is the prospect of joining this profession in it's current state. I hope I am not giving the impression that I am down on nurses here, it is just the truth as I see it. My job was my life for a long time, and this is my third industry. Maybe I should have investigated better, and then again, maybe this is the kick in the pants I need.