Future Relocation

I love living in CT, but it has a high COL, especially compared to Arkansas. Housing prices can vary widely with large concentrations of poverty in the bigger cities (Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven, Waterbury), and concentrations of wealth, sometimes great wealth in the surrounding areas (look up stats for Bridgeport then look up Westport to see what I mean). If you are looking for a more middle-class area, you will want to avoid southwestern CT (easy commute to NYC drives up prices) and Hartford suburbs.

Our public universities are generally good, and affordable. The community colleges have a cheap, highly respected (and very competitive) RN program that LPNs can "bridge" into and complete in a year after completing prereqs. It is relatively easy to bridge to a BSN program at one of the state universities after getting your ADN at a CC because of the articulation agreements between the schools.

Since you were a public school teacher, I assume you have at least a bachelor's degree in another field. You might want to consider one of the accelerated BSN programs. SCSU and UCONN are the public (less expensive) options; Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, St. Josephs, and Fairfield are private universities with ABSN programs.

The job market here is tight if you are looking for hospital-based work. From what I understand, very few hospitals hire LPNs (I think only a couple of the smaller ones) and even new RNs with associate degrees are having a hard time landing jobs (despite the fact that the CCs are turning out really good nurses. It's really about hospitals trying to get magnet status). Most hospitals (or at least the major ones - Yale, Hartford, Midstate, etc.) are looking for BSN at least or RN with experience and/or something special (good contact in HR, valedictorian, etc.).

LPNs here mostly work in nursing homes/rehabs. If that's something you are interested in, you can probably find work. My sister-in-law is an LPN from a diploma program, and she has a FT job with benefits at a nursing home. She started out doing per diem at a nursing home and a rehab, and that led to the permanent offer. Home care might also be an option, but I'm not sure about the market for that.