Do you experience jealousy from friends/family members?

Libra_8 · Jan 23, 2009

Well, I'm still in school but i have a sibling that was could not complete her BSN due to legal matters so based of the relationship we have already, Im sure i will have to edure a lot of jealousy, especially when i complete my masters degree (CRNA). I hope it all works out for her in the future.

sunray12 · Jan 23, 2009

If you have friends that aren't happy for you then they're not your true friends. As they say you can pick your friends but not your family. I'm fortunate in that my family are supportive of my endeavors. If you have family who are not supportive you need to minimize contact with them or if that's not possible because you live with them or have to see them regularly then you will just have to learn to keep the part of you that's on this nursing journey out of your interaction with them. Find friends who are into the things that are important to you and share your journey with them instead.

talaxandra · Jan 23, 2009

I've got a Grad Dip, two Masters and am part-way through a PhD. My friends, family and colleagues are supportive happy that I enjoy further education; I can't say I've encountered anything approaching jealousy. Most of my colleagues also think I'm nuts, but I don't think that's the emotion you mean!

RNperdiem, RN · Jan 23, 2009

I came from a community where the question wasn't "if" you were going to college but "where". Then you could get competitive about the prestige of the schools who accepted you.

College degrees are common here and nursing degree isn't that big a deal.

Rabid Response · Jan 23, 2009

My family is sooo jealous. First there's my fantastic night shift schedule. I show up to every family event looking fabulously like something the cat dragged in. And the stories I can relate over dinner--they love the ones about fecal incontinence and tunneling pressure ulcers. Seeing the personal satisfaction and solid middle class status that nursing has brought to my life makes all of them sorry they went to law school and made oodles of money doing something that never involves sputum.

FA to CRNA2b · Jan 23, 2009

I am the least educated in my family so I'm the one who wished that I had a doctorate.

My airline co-workers are curious about the health care field and want to know if it's anything like on TV.

My nursing colleagues are intrigued by my job as a flight attendant and ask me where I'm going next all the time.

I don't think there is any jealousy. They probably think I'm a little nuts though!

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Jan 23, 2009

My family is sooo jealous. First there's my fantastic night shift schedule. I show up to every family event looking fabulously like something the cat dragged in. And the stories I can relate over dinner--they love the ones about fecal incontinence and tunneling pressure ulcers. Seeing the personal satisfaction and solid middle class status that nursing has brought to my life makes all of them sorry they went to law school and made oodles of money doing something that never involves sputum.

OMG funny. Thats just.........funny.

But, back to the topic. I had something like this. My parents, a little after the time I started travel nursing, had to move in with my sister. My dad lost the job he had worked for almost ten years because they just plain ran out of work and were down to a bare bones skeletal crew. Many people went before him, he saw it coming but had done what a good citizen does in that situation (well, a good citizen without a lot of other options anyway). He doubled his efforts at work, didnt stay clocked in for OT and made sure, if the company did go under, it wouldnt be because of any lack of effort to right the ship on his part. They did go under. The company is now down to 4 people, used to be over 20. They moved into a "new office" that is basically an fixed up janitor's closet...........literally.

Well, I was travel nursing at this time and making the best money of my life. I reduced the debt I have to almost nothing by working OT (unlike my dad, I stayed clocked in for that) and budgeting my money so that I was making money but living like I did not.

I did buy some nice things. Put a lot in savings for when I decide to stop being a travel nurse and want to buy a home. Every time my parents saw me take a step forward, they lashed at me with "money isnt everything" and "you cant buy the best things in life" lectures. I did my best not to bring up money and not to flaunt the fact that I was not suffering from financial stress the first time in my life. But, eventually things would come up, sort of like this:

Scene: Me and eitehr of my parents, sitting in their former living room, just shooting the breeze.

Parent: So, when are you and Lindsay going to settle down and have children?

Me: Not sure, we want to be in a house first, and have a little put away so I can get my BSN.

Parent: Where are you going to buy a house? Have you looked at the (fill in the blank with a neighborhood with a lot of very small rental homes) area?

Me: No, we are thinking more like moving into (fill in the blank with a neighborhood with middle income people, medium houses and a good school district) or will travel awhile longer so we can put more money down on the house.

Parent: Well, money isnt everything. Its like you are chasing someting. Why do you always have to have the best money can buy?

Yeah, I'm chasing something alright. I'm chasing a life where I wont have to move into a much too small house with my children. Whats the problem with becoming stable financialy if you dont burn other people while doing it? IDK. My parents and sister just cant get over the fact that I've become the fiscally responsible one of the family.

KyPinkRN · Jan 23, 2009

My family is sooo jealous. First there's my fantastic night shift schedule. I show up to every family event looking fabulously like something the cat dragged in. And the stories I can relate over dinner--they love the ones about fecal incontinence and tunneling pressure ulcers. Seeing the personal satisfaction and solid middle class status that nursing has brought to my life makes all of them sorry they went to law school and made oodles of money doing something that never involves sputum.

I hate sputum!

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Jan 23, 2009

There's no jealousy in my family/friend groups.....

There is a little tension with old college friends who have lost their jobs in this economy. They know I'm in grad school, working my fingers to the bone.... but when I make time for a nice vacation, etc, they make it sound like I'm wiping my butt with $20 bills....

Shenanigans, RN · Jan 23, 2009

My family is sooo jealous. First there's my fantastic night shift schedule. I show up to every family event looking fabulously like something the cat dragged in. And the stories I can relate over dinner--they love the ones about fecal incontinence and tunneling pressure ulcers. Seeing the personal satisfaction and solid middle class status that nursing has brought to my life makes all of them sorry they went to law school and made oodles of money doing something that never involves sputum.

Absolutely agree with you there, sister. I bet its their rabid jealously that means I'm the only one in the family who's NOT allowed to talk about my job!

Although, my dad's smelly mistress who looks like the crypt keeper is an old skool nurse who doesn't have a degree, just hospital based training - she told me I'd never make it and I was wasting time and money and laughed whenever i had a balls up in education. I can see her seething with jealously and rage now that I have a degree and she don't! HAHAH!

Dottie78 · Jan 23, 2009

It's a shame that there are those "friends" and family out there who are jealous of other's accomplishments. They should be proud and supportive, because nursing is hard (but rewarding) work. I'm not in nursing school yet, but I do commend anyone who has gone through it, and who is a nurse. :yeah:

Now that my hubby graduated and found a great-paying job (he starts next month), I'm planning to quit my full-time job (that I've had since I was 19) and finally go to nursing school in the fall. We're both very excited!! All of my friends are happy for us and have given me lots of support. My mom on the other hand, has not been supportive of my decision to become a nurse. She was an LVN for 15 years until she got hurt on the job (over 15 years ago) and had to retire early. I'm not sure if it's because she doesn't believe in me, or if it's jealousy, but I get that vibe every time she's tried to discourage me from becoming an RN. When I was growing up, she never had a nice thing to say about the RNs she worked with. I could be all wrong about this, and maybe she's afraid of me getting hurt on the job like she did, but she never has said what her reason is for not wanting me to become a nurse, and that's not something I'm ready to ask her about. Now that she knows my hubby is starting a new job, right away she's tried to tell me what to do, like buy a bigger house...and move closer to her (instead of encouraging me to go to nursing school). After she told me that, I told her that we would buy a bigger home, but AFTER I finish school. It hurts me a lot that the one person whom I thought would be supportive of my decision to become an RN isn't. :crying2: But whatever...I have others in my life, like my husband, kids, and friends who are behind me 100%! I'm not going to let anyone stop me from acheiving my goals.