I can't decide what to do with my life.

[Hedybee]

Good morning everyone... I'm 23 year old current Family and Consumer Science Education student (when I graduate I will be able to teach home economics) with a weird academic history. When I got my AA at a community college I started taking pre reqs for an ADN, but I was afraid I wouldn't get into the program in my home town and quit. Then I went to a 4 yr and started as a Pre-med, then went to anthropology, and finally to FACS ED.

It seems like I just can't make up my mind about anything and I'm very concerned about it. There's one thing concrete in my history: I live for medicine. It's the only thing that makes me excited about going to work. I loved being a CNA, and every time I go to a doctor office or hospital I feel excited about medicine. For a while I was excited about being a teacher but I'm concerned that I won't like it and that it's too set in stone for me. There's no flexibility and I'm concerned that I won't be a good teacher. The only reason I didn't switch to nursing a year ago was because A. I've been in college for too long already and B. I have poor grades.

My gpa is 2.5 right now, with the possibility of being a 3.0 if I do well on my remaining classes.

I guess what my question is for everyone is this: what the heck do I do? Is it worth it for me to try and get into nursing? Should I just be a teacher? Does anyone else feel like they can't figure this out?

Please be honest and brutal if you need to, I need a serious reality check on this subject.

Thanks x

[Scottishtape]

Here's my thing: nursing school is hard. There is a lot of sacrifice that goes into it, not only for you, but for those around you as well. I'm talking time, money, stress, and even health concerns for some (usually due to the stress).

In order for that to be worth it and for you to make it through, you need to really want it and be commited. I've seen several in my program who were wishy washy and when sh*t hit the fan and things got real in school, they bailed.

At that point, you've wasted time, money, and frustration, and you're back where you started.

You need to to sit down with yourself and have a good ole one on one with yourself to determine what you *really* want.

I went through a phase where almost every month I changed my idea of what I wanted to be. I am still angry at myself for all that wasted time, BUT after having that honest conversation with myself, I made a decision and committed to it.

Nobody here can know what's right for *you*. Self-reflection will give you your answer.

[umbdude, MSN, APRN]

For people who keep switching majors and unsure of what to do with life, my recommendation is always this: stop switching, stick with whatever you have now and work in that field for at least a few years before you consider changing. Without doing so, you simply won't know whether you like it. It's also a bad idea to keep switching major without any real work experience on your resume.

[FutureNurseInfo]

Well, you are 23! It is rather common to have this identity crisis figuring out who you want to be in life. I am 30 and I have worked as a teacher for 7 years. Now, I am in pre-nursing. I realized I wanted to be a nurse! I thought I wasted so much time going to school to become a teacher, and then those long 7 years spent in the classroom. Then, like PP, mentioned, I had a nice and long talk with myself and realized, i did not waste any time; rather, I gained life experience which I will in turn use to my advantage once I become a nurse. What I will suggest you do is have faith in yourself. Try to nail the rest of your courses to bump up your GPA to 3.0 so you become eligible for nursing programs. Getting your GPA to that point IS the biggest thing you need to work on right now.

[Hedybee]

Thank you all so much. One problem is that when I try to have a one on one with myself I just choose whatever floats my boat that day... I think you're right about focusing on teaching right now and getting my GPA up. That should absolutely be my #1 priority at the moment. I can always do my remaining prereqs at a cc after I graduate.

I live in Washington state where the programs are highly competitive, so maybe I should also start getting more work experience, maybe it will help me decide what to do.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Have you considered working with a career counselor? I agree with a PP that you should finish what you are doing NOW and get into that field and at least try it out. You never know.

[Hedybee]

I have considered this.. where exactly does one go to speak to a career councilor?

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Your school should have one or well...Google is your friend

[aliciaro]

I would suggest graduating with your bachelor's, then doing an accelerated nursing program, which is only 1 year....but very intense, you have to be really dedicated to the career to successfully complete a program like that.

You should start learning more about the nursing career, like shadowing or volunteering at hospitals with RNs...while also improving grades, in order to get accepted into a nursing program.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

At this point your current GPA would most likely not get you admitted to a nursing program anyway so I suggest that you continue with your current track. There is after all no requirement that you actually work in the field your degree is in after graduation. Heck just look at how many people graduate with advanced degrees in a field with little to no possibility of making a living in that field. Once you do graduate and have that degree if you decide that you never want to teach, at least you have the degree which would make it easier to transition to an accelerated BSN program.

Besides, you might actually find that you love teaching by the time you graduate.