ever doubt/second guess yourself?

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Hey everyone, so after 5 years of working in health communications (from a cubicle, office, 9-5) and thinking about being a nurse, EMT, PA for years, I talked to a million nurses, went to open houses, talked to professors and have decided to go with my gut and go for nursing. I know I want to be in health one on one, helping people and making a difference in people lives. I want a rewarding career.

So I got a sweet gig bartending in fine dining for bills, started volunteering at my local hospital and enrolled in prereqs for Jan. I have been scared but really excited. Then today I gave notice at my crappy day job and afterwards I started to freak out saying all the second guessing things to myself like "you're too old to change careers" "its too hard, you will fail" "why dont you have you life figured out yet (Im 30)" " you are nuts to think you could do this"... and drove myself into a near panic attack.

I know I want to do this and I am excited. Did any of you second guess yourself with these negative thoughts? How did you calm yourself down? Any advice would be great.

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You're not too old! How many more years do you have to work? At least 35??? Do you want to work at a job you hate for the next 35 years....?? Go for your dreams - nothing good comes easy!!!

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I am currently going through this same thing. Now I have been taking my pre-reqs for 2 years this summer. I start my nursing program in June.

I recently quit my m-f day job that I absolutely hated to become a CNA because I figured the experience would be great for me since I have no previous medical field experience. I get anxiety thinking the same thing..."holy crap what are you doing"..(I am 31..32 in Jan). I had not freaked out at all before now, it was the quitting of my job after 9 1/2 years that got me here. I think because it's all starting to come together and change is just not easy sometimes, especially the life-changing ones. I have a supportive husband and we're just doing what we need to do for the next two years.

Good luck to you!! and you are not alone!!!!!! If it's what you really want, then do it!!!!!! :-)

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I always remind myself of how brave we are for taking the leap of faith! Not many people have faith to up and turn their life around and will be stuck in jobs where they are not truly happy.

Life is a journey, why should we just sit back, let's grab ahold of it and see what happens!!! It sure is scary, but man think of how we will be feeling once we are done and become RN's!

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Specializes in LTC.

Don't let yourself get scared! Well I guess you can..Just know it's healthy to have some fear! I let my fear get in the way of my dreams...I was just about ready to enter the nursing program (I have about a years worth of pre-reqs left) when I decided I wanted to be an elementary teacher (a dream of mine that comes in 2nd to nursing) so I switched gears and started working on that. Well then I had my daughter, which made me really sit and think about what I wanted because I couldn't mess around switching gears all the time, so I switched back to nursing. I'm currently a LPN. I don't regret my decision in the least to become a nurse. Sometimes though, I think of all the lost wages and experiences I missed. However that whole time I was a CNA, so I count myself lucky and figure my place was to be a CNA and now it's to be a nurse. It's where God wanted me!

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I did just post something similar to this, it was about being discouraged by friends and family that don't understand, which in turn makes me second guess myself!! If you look at my previous posts you can read what great words people had to encourage me there also! I love this web site!! :hug:

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Specializes in School Nursing.

There are a LOT of people here doing nursing as a second career- you are in good company. You're only 30 years old- you have your whole working life ahead of you.. I think it takes for people time to find their place in life..

If you think about how young tradition college students are- few of them REALLY know what is going to make them happy career wise.. they are doing the college thing because it is what is expected of them.

I think our generations (X,Y) are lucky in that it's OKAY for us to go back to college and it's not frowned upon or thought to be weird like it would have been a couple of decades ago.

Go for it. Don't second guess yourself. It takes an incredible amount of courage to quit your job and go for something completely different. You're going to do awesome.. I know it!

Good luck to you.

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you aren't to old! I'm almost 28, 2 kids, soon to be divorced and no way to support me and the boys. so i am starting my pre-req's 10 Jan 2011 for my long time dream of becoming an RN. go for it!

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Thanks so much for the support. Yesterday was a rough day for me, reading this made me feel much better. I applaud you all for making the leap too!

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Picture yourself in 5 years. Are you still sitting in that cubicle? Are you happy? Change is not easy, but think how dull life would be if we didn't push ourselves! It sounds like you've done a lot of research and are making an informed decision. Go for it!

By the way, I am 37 and just now thinking of making this career move.

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If you think about how young tradition college students are- few of them REALLY know what is going to make them happy career wise.. they are doing the college thing because it is what is expected of them.

Amen to that. I graduated in May with a Communications degree, and I pretty much didn't even know what that MEANT until I started looking for jobs, realized I made a huge mistake, and wished my parents would have supported my decision to do nursing (a plan that I presented to them 2 years ago and was told I was "not allowed" to do it). They don't support me at all, but I consider the path I'm choosing to be an adventure, and a very important growing experience! Whenever I catch myself second guessing my decision and feeling like the light at the end of the tunnel is too far away, I just tell myself "Anyone can do ANYTHING for _____ years" and then I insert the time it will take me to become an RN!

You can do it!!

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