Anyone left good paying job for nursing?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hi everyone!

Just wondering who out there has left a good paying job to go into nursing instead? I'm in an office job that pays well & is not bad - just been doing the same thing for 20 years & wanted something different & have started pre-reqs toward nursing - every day I question if I'm headed in the right direction. Am I crazy to give this up for nursing? Anyone wanting to share their own experience if they were in the same boat would be great! Thanks All !

At 43 I left a job paying 24,000 a year, every holiday off, every sunday and monday off. I went into dept 40,000 and spent 5 years trying to live on 8,000 a year most of which were student loans.

You ask was it worth it? I realized it was when my first pt upon discharge caught me in the hall (was not my pt that day) and told me I was a good nurse and helped her through a difficult period. I then knew what nursing was really about and I knew I made the right choice.

Several people have recommended that the OP shadow a nurse for a period of time. I have also seen this recommended liberally on other threads, as well. Is this still an option where you work? In my hospital, this would be considered a HIPAA issue. Student nurses are OK because they are affiliated with an accredited school and have written guidelines that must be followed. Volunteers are OK too for the specific duties they perform. They also have extensive training before they are permitted on the floors. No one else is allowed to have access to all of the patients (or their confidential information)that a nurse would care for in just a single day. Students and volunteers are scheduled through Nursing Ed or Volunteer Services--I just can't imagine calling the local hospital and asking to "follow a nurse" to see if this is what I want to do with my life. Do other areas of the country look at this differently? I'm just curious, because I know how ill received this request would be at my facility.

Specializes in Global Health Informatics, MNCH.

I left a horrible job (ever see office space, TPS reports, that was me) that paid disgustingly well. By the time I was 26 I made more money then my parents did combined, and they both worked full-time, and my $20k+ bonus was the biggest check anyone in my family had ever seen.

Before I went to nursing school I was bored to death at work, in a huge amount of debt (school loans, keeping up with the "joneses" of the corporate world), bad skin, overweight, unhealthy relationship, horrible commute, unhealthy lifestyle, etc. Now I have a job I care about(I do clinical research and I work part-time in pediatric HIV nursing), getting my FNP for free, a wonderful fiance, a semi-professional dance career, minus the bonus I'm making more money than I was before and I will be debt free in a year. As I read what I wrote I think about how blessed I am and would probably think it was BS if someone else wrote it, but it's absolutely true, changing my career was the best decision I ever made.

I agree with the other posters though, nursing is not for everyone. I worked in clinical informatics for 7 years before applying to nursing school and had worked with nurses, doctors and NPs everyday most of that time so I really knew what I was getting into. But there are also a lot of different jobs you can do as a nurse, especially if you have transferrable or related skills from your previous work experience. If your job makes you miserable, and you don't have finicial constraints (family, debt, etc) keeping you there, find something you love...it will make the greatest difference in your life.

Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiothoracics, VADs.

I'm about to leave a 6 figure job in the corporate world for a return to nursing. My job is associated with health care, but I just miss the clinical environment and mental stimulation too much. I'm very glad I made the change, as I was bored in my last clinical job after several years. The money does not make any difference if you are not happy in your job. Job satisfaction makes it a lot easier to get out of bed in the morning than a paycheck - for me, at least.

Specializes in ICU.
i too am leaving a "decent" job to become a nurse. i don't think any job is actually decent if it doesn't make you happy. life's too short to waste any time doing something you don't want to do. i agree with doing your research before going into nursing just because you want to help people. luckily i know some nurses and nursing students well so i've got a good handle on what i am in for!

best of luck to everyone!

Miss Arron -

I saw in one of your other posts that your first degree was in Chem Engineering. Small world - so was mine! I worked as an engineer for 22 years (at an automotive sealant/adhesive manufacturer/supplier) before deciding that it was time for a change. Along the way, I bounced from jobs as a Project Chemist to Development Chemist to Technical Service Engineer to Manufacturing Engineer to Production Supervisor (butyl extrude) to QC Engineer to Senior Process Engineer to Vinyl Plant Superintendent to Technical Manager to.....

My 17+ years as a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician/Paramedic (in my "copious free time" away from the job) taught me that life is too short. It's too short for continuing unhappiness and frustration. Life is what YOU choose to make of it. Your life isn't about tomorrow - it's about NOW.

For the past 4 years or so, I had been "going through the motions." I was doing a very good job, getting both good job reviews from my bosses & appreciation from my customers. There was nothing really in it for the "insides" of me, though. I was no longer growing as a person, and that was the worst of all.

As a medic, I've helped people come into the world, and worked to try and keep people from leaving this world. Death comes too quickly, often with no warning. You're here one minute, and worm food the next.

I've always enjoyed my patient contact, and am constantly amazed at how wonderful a thing the human body truly is. It was neat to learn about in medic school (a short 15 years ago), and good to learn more in depth in my prerequisite courses now. I decided to switch careers needing a greater sense of personal satisfaction and "meaning" in my life.

This career change would not have been possible without the full support (financial and emotional) of my wife. It's a hard thing, leaving a "successful" well paying career of 22 years. It would have been harder for me to stay.

Follow your heart (but it certainly helps to have some $$$ stashed aside and somebody else working while I'm being Mr. College Boy).

I am in the same position as the OP. I, too, will be leaving a good paying job at a major telecommunications company that I have been employed at for over 13 years. The pay is great, the benefits are great, and my co-workers are great. It's just that I've gone as far as I can go with this company and I am not growing. I am bored to death because I do the same thing day in and day out. I can say it's been a great ride, and my company has also agreed to hold my position for the first semester in nursing school to "see if this is something I really want to do".

I start a BSN program 01/17/07. As the date gets closer, I am an emotional reck. I don't know if this is the right thing and it's a fear of the unknown. Everything was good while I was working AND going to school at night to complete my AS. Now that I have to choose one or the other, I'm having an emotional conflict.

I REALLY want to be a nurse, however, I'm addicted to the comfortable lifestyle my current job has afforded me. I know I will need to make a major sacrifice and I'm prepared to do that, but it's the other things in nursing that scares me, such as new grads being fired only 3 months after nursing school, or passing the wrong meds in clinicals that can cause you to automatically fail.

I've been doing a lot of prayer and asking God to lead me. I can't do this alone.

To: Nurse2be09

I KNOW where you're coming from (or I'm almost there, let's say) - because it is absolutely fine, you're right, when you still have your job & just going to school part-time. But my time will come very soon too that I"ll have to choose one or the other & go with it. Scared to death of making the wrong choice! Sometimes I just say to myself to think 10 years ahead & will I still want to be doing what I'm doing then? No, I don't think so. The unknown is always scary. Also I think there are so many avenues in nursing that if you get into one & hate it, try another. And there are no guarantees in life even in the job I have now--they have been laying off so that could be gone too. You just never know. I figure something made me restless enough to start pre-reqs for nursing. I know it's a huge jump but maybe it will help if you think about what would happen if you DIDN'T go for it. The saying goes "the risks we didn't take are most often the things we regret the most." Good Luck to All Who Replied to My Thread - May everyone find their dreams & dream job!!

Specializes in Accepted...Master's Entry Program, 2008!.

I feel the same as the couple of posts above me. I have a decent job with decent pay. I'm just bored out of my mind and find new jobs very very very very very few and far between. I've been looking for another job for over a year (IT field). Now I'm stuck driving 50 miles to work each morning, and 50 back each night. The most exciting call I get is someone needing their password reset. I spend my days posting on this board and watching movies. Never have to work weekends, nights, or holidays. My job also doesn't involve body fluids or gaping wounds.:nurse:

But I am bored out of my mind. I couldn't imagine being on my deathbed (or at least retired) and looking back at the waste that was my life. Is sitting here posting on message boards and watching endless streams of movies such a great way to spend my life? I think not.

I'm looking at going to a direct-entry MSN program, but I'm nearly paralyzed with fear. What is it that I really want? I don't know. Is this the right choice for me? I don't know.

I'm terrified. But I guess that fear is not enough to keep my buttocks firmly planted in this chair. I'd like to think, at the end of my life, that I'd done more than reset a few passwords, or helped people get their documents printed.

Whether a new career is the answer, I don't know. Perhaps I'm just looking at things wrong.

I have a lot of thinking to do.......

Specializes in ICU.

But I am bored out of my mind. I couldn't imagine being on my deathbed (or at least retired) and looking back at the waste that was my life. Is sitting here posting on message boards and watching endless streams of movies such a great way to spend my life? I think not.

I'm looking at going to a direct-entry MSN program, but I'm nearly paralyzed with fear. What is it that I really want? I don't know. Is this the right choice for me? I don't know.

I'm terrified. But I guess that fear is not enough to keep my buttocks firmly planted in this chair. I'd like to think, at the end of my life, that I'd done more than reset a few passwords, or helped people get their documents printed.

I had been thinking about switching to nursing for 3-4 years before I finally did it. In my case, the final straw was when my employer locked out the union workforce. I'd worked with many of these people for 22+ years. Some of them were good, some were bozos - like those of us in management. This lockout made the decision easier for me. I could not see myself crossing the picket line day after day, doing a job that no longer had much meaning for me.

I was earning a nice, low six-figures salary as a management consultant and ditched that for nursing. 10 more months to go in my accelerated program. NOT ONE SINGLE REGRET. I was missing expensive meals at steakhouses, but drug reps in my extern unit love to pay for nursing events, and I am now beginning to get those at least once per month....

There is not one day that I don't feel like I am making someone's life at least a little bit better...I can't say that once about the 12 years I spent in corporate America.

The RN-MD divide is a little strange to get used to...some former military folks in my program liken it to the enlisted-officer division. In other words, though you may be just as smart and educated as the docs (in your former career, at least), don't expect to become great friends with them outside of work (unless you are dating one, married to one, etc.). I find that weird and a little sad, but otherwise, life is good...Career changers bring a great perspective to nursing...

I left a 14 year stint as a quality engineer for medical devices to become a nurse. I am still in school but decided to work as a CNA first to be sure this was what I really wanted.

It is true that the nurses do not get enough respect, but....at the end of the day, if you are happy with your work, it benefits other aspects of your life as well.

Yes, I was previously a nurse, moved into the corporate world and was making excellent pay. After 5 1/2 years I enjoyed the money but was totally bored and received no satisfaction from the job. I left, took a refresher in nursing and am now a floor nurse again. Took a 50% pay cut but the thanks and smiles on my patient's faces when I can make them comfortable and ease their fear is worth it. Dealing with the docs and hospital management is a pain but I can deal with it.

+ Add a Comment