I am considering going back to school for a third and final time, and I need some realistic hard answers...
I have been out of college for close to five years now....living on my own in an apartment, barely scraping by, miserable in a job selling ladies' shoes for a major chain department store. Granted I have moved up and gotten a raise, but I'm so unhappy and unfulfilled.
I know I am smart, I think at least.....and I LOVE to help people and be 'where the action is' more or less. I have always been the kind of person to pull my car over at an accident scene and see if I could help in any way. I'm very type A. Now that being said....I've never considered myself a "math" or "science" person. I did rather badly in high school science and math, then again, I was a wild out of control teenager, and didn't study or pay attention to any of my courses except the ones I didn't have to study for.
I've always been more on the creative side of my brain, an artist. If you know an artist, you know how quirky we can be....but that's not to say I couldn't learn it if I actually, really tried. I am going to move back in with my folks for a while (lame, I know) because otherwise I could never afford to pay for it on my own. I am so ready to be back in school, and to hopefully be able to keep up with the younger crowd...but I'm so nervous. I'm sure I'll have to cut back my job to part time once I'm actually in..
I just want this SOOO bad. You have no clue how much I regret not taking full advantage, or having this revelation, in my younger years at college. A dose of life without a degree seems meaningless and unacceptable to me.....so I'm doing whatever it takes....and setting my goals high (I just hope not too high). I want a job I can be proud of, a job that is proud of me even.....I want to feel like the work I'm doing is actual work, making a difference in someone's life.....and to I want to be paid based on my skills, compassion, and knowledge (not how many freakin shoes I sell). Being a leo, leadership and confidence has always been my thing....and I trust myself to take care of people with the proper training. I know I could do it if I can just learn it all.....and love it.
Do I have a prayer? I have no medical experience, no big math or science experience to brag about, and haven't been back to school in ages (and left on a sour note)? Will other nursing students laugh their asses off and tell me to go home? :pntlft::pntlft::pntlft::rotfl::sofahider
(For those of you wondering why I went to college three times already, once I switched my major from teaching to art, then my mom got inflammatory breast cancer, which took up all my money and emotions...then she got better, I went back, then she got sick again, so I dropped out and finished my AAD in studio art from some craptastic online scam school)
Listen, I was a sucky student in high school (family issues, no focus) and bombed out my first time in college (again, no focus). When I finally went back to school, I finally felt focused and even though I thought I was not very intelligent, I did really well. My first biology teacher pulled me aside and said, "I have two words for you: medical school." Well, that didn't happen. Marriage happened, kids happened, divorce happened, life just happened. Now here I am. I've spent 20 years doing something I really don't like. I'm good at it, but I don't like it. I'm still working on pre-reqs because I took mine like 25 years ago (yeah, I'm ancient). I picked up my books today and I'm scared. I'll be working full-time and taking 14 credits. I'm scared that I'll get behind. How am I going to find the time to do this? Will I be able to get the grades I need to get? Will I be miserable every minute? And if I do well enough and actually get accepted into an Accelerated BSN program or graduate program, will I make it through? Will I faint at the sight or smell of any bodily fluid? Will my body and brain hold up? I'm ******* OLD ya'll. I could have a heart attack the first day of clinicals! I haven't told many of my friends what I'm doing because I'm afraid they'll think I'm "tetched." Did I mention I'm scared? But I have wanted to be in the health profession since I was a wee one. I'm finally going to do it if it kills me. I think that a healthy dose of fear, a bit of reality, pure crazy desire and common sense that comes with a bit of life experience will show you that you have a lot more capability than you think you have. Try it. Conquer your fears an believe in yourself. And remember, we only go around once. :)
Specializes in Case Mgmt, Anesthesia, ICU, ER, Dialysis.
Everyone I talk to now from high school laughes their a$$e$ off when I tell them I'm a nurse.
I was a Russian major. No lie. :)
I'm now in a CRNA program, and a hard-core chemistry and physiology person.
It can be done. If you want it bad enough, you can absolutely do it. Use the student success centers, math/science help centers, anything available to you, including US!
2ndLife
63 Posts
Listen, I was a sucky student in high school (family issues, no focus) and bombed out my first time in college (again, no focus). When I finally went back to school, I finally felt focused and even though I thought I was not very intelligent, I did really well. My first biology teacher pulled me aside and said, "I have two words for you: medical school." Well, that didn't happen. Marriage happened, kids happened, divorce happened, life just happened. Now here I am. I've spent 20 years doing something I really don't like. I'm good at it, but I don't like it. I'm still working on pre-reqs because I took mine like 25 years ago (yeah, I'm ancient). I picked up my books today and I'm scared. I'll be working full-time and taking 14 credits. I'm scared that I'll get behind. How am I going to find the time to do this? Will I be able to get the grades I need to get? Will I be miserable every minute? And if I do well enough and actually get accepted into an Accelerated BSN program or graduate program, will I make it through? Will I faint at the sight or smell of any bodily fluid? Will my body and brain hold up? I'm ******* OLD ya'll. I could have a heart attack the first day of clinicals! I haven't told many of my friends what I'm doing because I'm afraid they'll think I'm "tetched." Did I mention I'm scared? But I have wanted to be in the health profession since I was a wee one. I'm finally going to do it if it kills me. I think that a healthy dose of fear, a bit of reality, pure crazy desire and common sense that comes with a bit of life experience will show you that you have a lot more capability than you think you have. Try it. Conquer your fears an believe in yourself. And remember, we only go around once. :)