Going back to school! A story of a career change.

[078207]

At age 25 (soon 26 ), I decided to switch careers and even though I've accepted that fact, I still get those freak out moments where I say to myself "I can't believe I'm doing this; should I be doing this?". The answer, "yes", usually comes to me after I calm myself down and think about the career I'm leaving and the reasons why it does not make me happy and why I "think" nursing will make me happy, both in the short-term and long-term.

My career as an Environmental Scientist, is soon coming to an end. I thoroughly enjoyed my B.Sc ENVS degree and learning about the earth systems, it is just that the career did not translate over. I always thought my ideal career would be project manager or business development, something with people but still touched upon the science. The climb to get to that position was not what I thought it would be and I soon realized that my ENVS career was limiting. My job quickly turned into contracts lasting 4-8 months with no work in the winter. Being on EI was not something I enjoy after working so hard to get my degree. That coupled with seclusion (or that is how it would feel while working in the field), and endless report writing and data crunching, I felt unfulfilled.

I started to think of new careers, nursing always stood out to me as something I wanted to do, but I thought it was unattainable. So I applied and was accepted! I start this September and as I previously stated I still get those freak out moments. I can't believe I'm going back to school for another 3-4 years, but it will be worth it I tell myself. There is a lot that interests me about the nursing profession - working with people, health centered jobs, patient care, and most of all feeling like I'm providing someone with compassion and empathy when they need it the most. And of course I can't complain about better pay compared to what I'm making now and the mobility of the job (but that is NOT the big driver).

In less than a month I will be quitting my current work contract and hitting the books. Quitting my job is a big of a stressor for me because I just don't know how my boss will react or if i'll be asked to leave right away. I hate the idea of quitting a contract, even though when I accepted the position (hey a girl has to work) I still was on the fence about going back to school. Did anyone have to quit a contact due to school ? How did your boss react?

Thanks for listening

[Career2_BSN, BSN]

Nursing is full of 2nd-career types so you are NOT alone. I am 36, finished all pre-reqs, completing my medical check-ups and vaccinations, studying for the TEAS exam and currently taking a CNA course, all so I can walk away from a 12-year job in Business from a VERY good company to pursue a career I'll love. I'm currently a Business Analyst and I just don't find it fulfilling. I'm working for a paycheck.

There was a time when I had a job I loved, but it paid barely more than minimum wage and I left it, pursuing financial security for my family. Now, with 3 kids, a mortgage, and a very supportive hubby, I'm looking at cutting my pay by more than half (to work as a CNA) while pursuing my RN. I currently make what the average new-grad RN makes in my area so I'm looking at a lateral move initially, not a financial one.

In preparation, we've paid off a lot of debt (only one credit card left) so we can afford to live on hubby's salary plus a small fraction of what I'm making today. I budgeted for all of our regular bills plus a cushion of $500/month for those "extras" that always pop up. We've adjusted our spending habits; cooking more at home, making my own laundry detergent, using vinegar and baking soda to clean almost everything around the house, etc.

Despite all of this preparation, I still have moments of panic where I wonder if we're going to be okay and if I should really do this. Like you, when I calm down, it is a resounding YES, we can do this. According to my plans, we will "make it" without loans or scholarships, but then I worry about the "what if" catastrophes that I can't forsee. I will, of course, apply for scholarships and if I must, I'll take out loans. I am hopeful to get a CNA job at a place that offers tuition assistance so that'll help as well.

Many nurses have travelled this same path before us. Many more are on this path today. They have been successful. We will be as well.

[LoriRNCM, ADN, ASN, RN]

Can't you do an accelerated BSN since you already have your bachelors? Seems like a long time to be in school.

[078207]

I'm Canadian and unfortunately my degree did not provide me with enough required credits (a&p, bio chem, micro bio) to apply to the 2 year program in my Province. I did apply for the 3 year accelerated program but I did not hear back yet. So that leaves me with taking the 4 year BScN program, which is not too bad because i'll have more time to work and hopefully study (that's what I keep on telling myself). Next winter I will apply to the 2 year accelerated program because I will have completed the 4 courses I was previously missing.

[078207]

Thanks for sharing your story with me, it's always so inspiring to hear another person's journey and to know you're not alone in this. I'm trying to cut my spending too to save up but it has been hard due to "bumps" in my employment history. Just thinking about buying school and clinical gear makes me cringe a little.

What has been the biggest cost savings to your budget ? (other than eating out - it's a easy budget killer)

[Career2_BSN, BSN]

We already shop at less expensive stores and buy generic items when we can (they're usually the same quality as name brands but far cheaper). Eating "in" 99% of the time definitely saves the most. Other things we've done...

- Paying bills off early...car payments, credit cards, etc.

- Turning off cable TV and using Netflix and Hulu Plus instead ($8/month for each). This saved over $100/mo. Still have internet, tho. We bought a Roku box ($50 one-time purchase through Amazon) so it serves as our "cable box". One can also use a laptop, PS3 or XBOX 360 (if you have XBOX live) or if your TV is internet ready, you can plug the internet line directly into the TV.

- Downgrading from Smart phones back to basic phones ($30/mo per phone x 2 phones).

- Drinking iced tea instead of sodas - $1/box of generic tea makes 12.5 gallons of tea (8 tea bags per gallon of brewed tea).

- Planning meals a month at a time and shopping sales. Fewer trips to the grocery store = fewer spontaneous purchases. It also ensures we'll eat at home since we plan variety into the menu and meals everyone likes.

- Finding inexpensive "fun" activities for the family such as using the community pool (included in our HOA dues), going on walks or bike rides, going to the beach, playing board games, playing their XBOX Kinect games ---- all things we already own.

- Friday nights are movie night. We rent movies from Redbox for $1.29 per movie instead of pay per view at $4 a movie.

- Shopping in my own closet - I have a lot of clothes but always want to shop for more (a girl thing, I guess). I have learned that if I go through my closet and drawers, I re-discover things I forgot I own. Try them on to ensure they still fit and rotate clothes so you see things you forgot you had.

- I organized my hair accessory drawer and bagged like-items (ponytail holders in one bag, headbands in another, barrettes in a 3rd, and big clips loose in the bottom of the drawer. I didn't realize how many I had when they were all one big jumbled mess. Yea, hair accessories is something I think I have a lifetime supply of.

- The organization worked so well that I decided to organize the area beneath our sinks and discovered bottles of shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen and lotion that I forgot we had. I often buy doubles so we have "back-up" -- I hate to run out. But then I forgot I had a back-up.

- The Dollar Tree (everything costs $1) carries things that I used to pay $3-$5 for....shampoo, toothpaste, the kids flouride mouth rinse, etc.

- I have long hair and must use conditioner. I use a rinse out one and a leave-in one. I now only buy the rinse out kind ($1 at Dollar Tree). Fill a small spray bottle 1/4 with conditioner and the rest of the way with water and shake until mixed thoroughly. It's the perfect leave-in conditioner and SUPER cheap. I re-used the bottle from a commercial leave-in conditioner that I ran out of.

- We eat more beans and rice now - both very inexpensive when bought dry and they are the perfect protein (and carb) combo so they are healthy, too. They also have lots of fiber.

- Incorporate more vegetarian meals since meat is expensive. A baked potato topped with broccoli and cheese is heavenly!

- I've been making my own laundry detergent for quite a while.

- If you cook with cans of creamed soup (popular for casserole type dishes), I found a recipe for making that from scratch, too.

Actually, I have collected a lot of "from scratch" recipes for various foods and cleaners and placed them all on Pinterest. I also pinned ideas for freezer cooking, batch cooking, meal planning, gift ideas, etc all on there. If you're interested, go to www.pinterest.com and search for me. I have the same username there that I use here.

We've been cutting back here and there for a while so it won't be so noticeable when we HAVE to cut back. Plus, cutting back now helped to pay those extra bills since I just re-directed the money we were spending.

[adc85]

Wow, your story sounds so similar to mine! I have a bio degree and worked in an environmental lab for a few years after graduation. I wanted to make more money, the work I did was too easy and boring and unfulfilling. I don't want to just earn a paycheck, I want to feel like I'm making a difference, no matter how small it may be. Bio jobs are rare and hard to get in my area, and I also want to use more of my bio degree in my career, so I decided on nursing. I'm 27, and I will be 29 when I graduate nursing school.

I really struggled with the decision to go back to school. I felt like I had finished the school chapter of my life, and I was supposed to be working and doing the things I want like traveling and saving up to buy a larger home when my husband and I decide to start a family. It's really hard to have to take out loans and know that I will be in school for 2 more years.....but I finally realized it will be worth it in the end! This may sound silly, but to make myself feel better, I would say that it's only 2 years, so technically it's like getting a masters degree, and that seems better than starting all over again, haha!

Good luck in your program!