I'm due to start an accelerated 1-year BSN program in August but I've recently been having second thoughts. I currently work in IT, have a pretty cushy job and make good $$$, have good benefits. It's kind of a dead-end job though, no room for advancement and it's specialized enough that it would be very difficult to find another job if I moved (which is unlikely), or lost my job (also fairly unlikely, but I guess could happen). I don't love my job, computers aren't my thing, but it's okay. I've been having second thoughts because I'll have to quit my job to go to school, which I always knew but I guess now that it's getting closer I'm getting scared. The way the economy is going makes me really scared to quit right now. Plus I look at posts here about nurses who are burned out, hate their jobs, are very very stressed and not making a whole lot of money on top of all of that. I talked to one girl recently who was a nurse but quit because it was too much, and she's very much of a go-getter type of person, likes to be busy. I'm smart and learn fast and I know I'd be good at nursing, but I don't know if I want to go into a field where I'll be extremely stressed out and making about 40% less than I do now. I'm willing to work some weird hours but I do NOT want nights, so that's another consideration. I will have to work in one of the not-so-great hospitals in the area for two years because of a tuition forgiveness program so that doesn't help, plus there seem to be lots of nursing schools in this area so I don't think there's really too much of a shortage here. Although I know once I got my master's degree the money (and probably pretty much everything about the job) would get better, that's several years down the road. I don't want to go through school and end up hating my job in a few years and regretting giving up my current job, but I do love health care and want to be a part of it. Any advice?
