should I quit my job for school

naenae1979 · Mar 31, 2010

Well...for me, I worked full time m-f 8-4! I enrolled into 2 seminar classes and a cna course. I also have 2 small childern and was in a terrible job that I had worked for 8 years! BUT..... I decided to quit my full time job b/c 1. my boss at the time would not let me take off even for orientation... let alone all the other stuff that comes with being in a full time program! I have a VERY supportive husband and we just figured where there is a WILL there is a WAY! I asked everyone I knew if I was making the right decision or not.. and truth be told I was the only one who could answer that! I mean...sure, I miss the money but I am soooo much less stressed than before and the GOOD LORD just keeps opening doors everwhere I turn! I hope this helped at all. GOOD LUCK!

Kkalasa · Mar 31, 2010

I'm just starting out in my nursing pursuit (I don't even know what your abbreviations mean:)) but I'm also at a decision making time of whether or not to quit my current job and go to school full time. I would LOVE to just go to school but I also don't want to be reckless with my finances. Like the previous poster said, it's a personal decision and we all have to do what feels right for us.

baylor06 · Mar 31, 2010

Haha, didn't even realize there were abbreviations in the OP until I read the last post, guess I've been a nurse too long! ;-)

tobesmartt · Mar 31, 2010

Well...for me, I worked full time m-f 8-4! I enrolled into 2 seminar classes and a cna course. I also have 2 small childern and was in a terrible job that I had worked for 8 years! BUT..... I decided to quit my full time job b/c 1. my boss at the time would not let me take off even for orientation... let alone all the other stuff that comes with being in a full time program! I have a VERY supportive husband and we just figured where there is a WILL there is a WAY! I asked everyone I knew if I was making the right decision or not.. and truth be told I was the only one who could answer that! I mean...sure, I miss the money but I am soooo much less stressed than before and the GOOD LORD just keeps opening doors everwhere I turn! I hope this helped at all. GOOD LUCK!

Wow that's great for you. How can I get the GOOD LORD to keep opening doors for me ?everywhere I turn?

tobesmartt · Mar 31, 2010

If you can afford it financially....uh?? yea ha !!

delilas · Mar 31, 2010

I agree with tobes - if you can financially afford it, then definitely. Don't burn out in a job you don't enjoy with difficult classes. I'm not going any further than my BSN (for now, anyway), but I can only imagine that the FNP classes will keep getting more difficult, because they don't hand that out to just anyone :) Good luck with everything, I hope you get it sorted out!

crystalchen · Mar 31, 2010

I have read all the replies and I feel like I really need to think about this by myself. My parents are very supportive and they can financially support me. My husband is looking for a job right now so there is no income from him right now. I think I could always find something to do if I feel like I have extra time besides school in the future. This job is too stressful without learning much... I do think I need the extra 2-3 days to read books and prepare for NP clinicals... but another question will be... Will my resume look bad if I only worked 8 months as RN and then become an FNP??

delilas · Mar 31, 2010

but another question will be... Will my resume look bad if I only worked 8 months as RN and then become an FNP??

Granted, like I said above, I'm not going for NP and have not been in your position. But at least you have SOME experience as an RN - there are NPs who go straight through and don't do any work besides their clinicals and have no real world experience after 6 to 8 years of schooling...so you're already ahead of the bus there.

At the very least, look into a part-time RN position that can keep your toes in the water and maybe give you a better field for learning. This way, you cut back your hours to give you more time for school while still gaining experience for your resume and for your own knowledge.

Boston-nurse08 · Mar 31, 2010

I think it depends on your financial situation. If you can afford to quit your job and go to school full time it could allow you to finish your NP program earlier rather than part time and put all of your focus and energy into that... I had to do this because my nursing program was becoming extremely intense and my grades were beginning to suffer. Every is different though. Maybe you could get a per diem job? That would work well!!!

Best of Luck!

crystalchen · Mar 31, 2010

Thanks everyone, I think per diem might be the best option here, our hospital requires 16 hrs per month for per diem, and I think I could definitely afford that... I will request this to my manager next week to see if she will approve.

llg, PhD, RN · Mar 31, 2010

Thanks everyone, I think per diem might be the best option here, our hospital requires 16 hrs per month for per diem, and I think I could definitely afford that... I will request this to my manager next week to see if she will approve.

I think a per diem or part time position is your best option. Yes, your minimal experience (and minimal undergrad education) will be a potential liability for the future when it is time to job hunt. Continuing to develop your clinical skills is an important thing to do in your develop. Learning happens even if you are doing primarily "tech work" at the moment. You are seeing patients, becoming skilled at assessing and interacting with them. That's valuable experience even if you are not seeing and doing "new and exciting" stuff. Also, quitting after only 8 months looks really bad to a potential employer.