Help! Can't decide between nursing or teaching

Speculating · Dec 15, 2003

Originally posted by hug4mom
Hi.

I am supposed to start a 2 year ADN program in January. I have a Bachelor's degree in Business and am considering nursing or teaching.

I've been a CNA for 11 years and I have a love/hate relationship with nursing. I love the patient contact, the helping, the caring, etc.
But, there is so much that I DON"T like. Snippy nurses, rude doctors, staffing shortages, STRESS.

Teaching is starting to appeal to me. Am I just thinking that the grass will be greener on the other side? Is there low stress in teaching?

Anyone have any perspective to share?

Thanks!

You have Bachelor's Degree in Business yet you've remained a CNA for 11 years, and now you want to become a nurse or a teacher. Sounds like you have a problem with commitment to me. :confused:

RN2B4ABBY · Dec 15, 2003

Hi! My sister-in-law is a teacher for 4th grade. Just like nursing, it has it's ups and downs. You are doing a wonderful thing with the students, but she still has a lot of stress. You have the "politics", the snippy co-workers, budget constraints, large teacher-student ratios when the budgets are small and you have to deal with some students who are unruly. You have to deal with parents. She has them calling her at home sometimes, she has had one storm into her classroom and she has to deal with some of the students that are great kids but just need some support at home and she can't get the parents to understand that.

Every career is going to have the terrible parts that make you wonder why you ever wanted to be there to begin with. It's all a part of life. I am also working on my obtaining my associates in nursing (I have a business degree too!) and when I hear some of the things the nurses have to go through, I start to wonder myself. But in the end nursing wins for me. I am not even sure how I ended up deciding on nursing. I just know it "feels" right and I am going to give it all I have. Maybe you are just having last minute jitters because you are only a month away from starting a big change in your life! I tend to do the same thing. Everytime I am about to start something new, I begin to question it and look at other options. One thing I can say is if you try it and don't like it, you can switch because the knowledge gained is valuable. If you don't try it, you will never know and that is a worse feeling in the end.

Go with what you feel is best and I wish you luck in anything that you do. Just keep in mind that no matter what you do, there are going to be good days and bad days and do not make permanent decisions on the bad ones! Take care and again, lots of luck!

Mr_D · Dec 15, 2003

I have a love/hate relationship with nursing . . . .

Teaching is starting to appeal to me. Am I just thinking that the grass will be greener on the other side? Is there low stress in teaching?

Anyone have any perspective to share?

I looked into both very, very thoroughly. Also, I had talked with a lot of teachers while installing computer systems in the school systems.

I came to the conclusion that the education system is way too dysfunctional. By that I refer to the tug of war between governments, local politicians, partisan jockying, never ending turn-over of the "teaching philosopy du jour", OJT acrimony, a few vocal unrealistic parents, more uninvolved parents, corrupt union leadership, and a few bad kids. Worse yet, given the 40+ years of bi-partisan political stagnation in the country, it's not getting any better -- just more mandates that take almost all decision-making power and creativity away from the teacher. Despite all the press and DECADES of 'reform$', the education system is still drifting in mediocrity.

I don't expect to see substantial improvement in education until a political revolution addresses the monopoly interests of Democrat/Republican parties over the needs of communities. By that I mean that schools are used as a pawn to protect incumbents at all levels -- teachers, kids and education be damned. (If you think that is cynical, go to a few school board meetings or state legislative debates on education spending. See first hand how unremitting self-serving partisanship impacts education.) People unwittingly keep choosing sides in this debate when they need to be restructuring the environment in which the debate is held.

Now I ask you, why would anyone want to get involved in such morass?

Answer is: you really really love to teach, or you are desparate for a job. The environment makes teaching one of the worst jobs out there. Oh -- teaching is ranked one of the most stressful jobs in America.

Nursing has it's challenges -- and I think has a lot more going for it than teaching. I'm going into nursing for many reasons, one is job flexability. If bedside care just doesn't work for me and the patients, then I will pick up something else, such as lobbying, informatics, etc.

best of luck.

Sheri257 · Dec 15, 2003

I looked at nursing and teaching as well. I have no delusions about any profession, since I've never had a job that didn't involve politics and stress.

For me, the bottom line was job opportunities. With the recession and state budget crisis, 45 teachers were laid off in my area alone, not to mention many more throughout the state.

With nursing, there's a current shortage of 12,000 positions in my state and a projected shortage of 120,000 positions in the next 20 years.

Just something else to think about.

NursePru · Dec 15, 2003

Well, I don't think you have a problem with commitment. Sounds to me like you are just trying to find your niche, like the rest of the world. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with exploring your options. My mom is a teacher and I actually wondered the same thing before I decided on nursing (I considered teaching art). I had my own reasons for choosing nursing, but my mom gave me the following pros and cons for teaching:

Pros:

The kids (when they behave) are hilarious

You get to teach the fresh young minds of America

Summers/Holidays/Snow days off

Cons:

Pay---is considerably low in most areas---decent in others

In some areas teachers are not in demand

Sometimes the administration can be tough to deal with

Kids (when they misbehave)

I would talk to some teachers in your area and see what it is like because it really varies depending on location.

MandyInMS · Dec 15, 2003

Can't decide between nursing or teaching.....why not both? nursing educator..whether in a nursing school,staff educator,patient educator,ect...combine both the things you love :)

tmiller027 · Dec 16, 2003

Originally posted by hug4mom
Hi.

I am supposed to start a 2 year ADN program in January. I have a Bachelor's degree in Business and am considering nursing or teaching.

I've been a CNA for 11 years and I have a love/hate relationship with nursing. I love the patient contact, the helping, the caring, etc.
But, there is so much that I DON"T like. Snippy nurses, rude doctors, staffing shortages, STRESS.

Teaching is starting to appeal to me. Am I just thinking that the grass will be greener on the other side? Is there low stress in teaching?

Anyone have any perspective to share?

Thanks!

I have some friends who've gone into teaching and it is NOT low stress at all.

Teachers today have little or no tools to control their students. They cannot use physical force even if two kids are nearly killing each other. All they can do is have a kid removed from class, only to be second guessed by the administration and parents and school board at every turn.

WHen test scores go down, the teachers are blamed, but when they go up, the adminstrators take the credit.

When budgets get cut, class sizes double.

The list goes on from what they've told me. Every job has it's negative and stressful aspects. You just have to decide what it is you want to do most.

pie123 · Dec 16, 2003

Nothing.

pie123 · Dec 16, 2003

By the way, I think nowadays, you'd be hard pressed to find a job with low stress, and if you're looking for one with low stress on a daily basis, I'd say those jobs don't exist.

dragonfly954 · Dec 16, 2003

well it's either spend your day with 25 nine -year olds if you choose to be a teacher or 25 ninety -year olds if you select nursing.............

Sheri257 · Dec 16, 2003

Originally posted by dragonfly954
well it's either spend your day with 25 nine -year olds if you choose to be a teacher or 25 ninety -year olds if you select nursing.............

:chuckle Good one!