I want to quit pre-nursing for social work!

Peanut&Buttercup · Oct 20, 2014

Here's an idea: switch to social work!

Social work has low pay and high stress. It can be a very difficult, demanding and stressful career, but that doesn't mean it's not right for you.

I suggest you talk to as many nurses and social workers as you can. It'll give you a better picture of what your future may hold.

pumpkinlover95 · Oct 20, 2014

Thanks for your reply! I'm in a time crunch. If I decide to do social work, I'm going to drop bio on Thursday, the last day to drop that class. I like demanding jobs, I can't sit around and wait. I was hoping some social workers are on this forum!! I told my parents that if social work does not pay well and I can't make ends meet then I'll go back for nursing.

Thanks, again, Peanut&Buttercup!!!

:)

OBigdog26, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 20, 2014

HI! Im a sophomore at a university. I originally wanted to apply to college for social work but my parents wouldn't let me because of the low pay so I decided to go for nursing. However, I absolutely hate the hard sciences. I suck at them and I'm about to fail my bio class. I barely passed Chem I and almost failed BIO I and now I'm going to fail BIO 2 and I haven't even taken anatomy or microbio. I really dont think I will be accepted in to the nursing school here.
I am thinking about switching to social work. I know the pay is not comparable to nursing but I think social work is kind of my passion. I have always been so interested in social issues and justice and I was on eboard for multiple community service organizations. If I don't volunteer I feel empty. I would prefer helping homeless people than patients in a hospital.
I've already invested a lot into pre-nursing but I really really hate bio and I'm going to fail and I might not even be able to get my health science degree within four years because I will have to retake my bio classes to get a c or above.
I really do not know what to do. I could see myself as a nurse and I thought that's what I wanted. I told myself that I could do it that I could tough it out but I really can't. The more I try, the more I fail. I think I could really do well in social work. Any advice?
Thanks!

Do what will make you happy! If you think it will be in social work, become a social worker. Don't waste your time doing pre-nursing if you think your not going to be successful in it.

Again, do what makes you happy and choose a career that's a good fit for you and not anyone else's.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

Nienna Celebrindal · Oct 20, 2014

Follow YOUR bliss.

Not your parents or any one else's.

Period.

SoniaReb · Oct 21, 2014

Really????

.... and what will happen when one follows their "bliss" and cannot find a job in the chosen field and end up returning to live with Mom and Dad for an extended period of time? One should not based their career choices on easy majors or as some would put it, on their passion. The real world dictates that one should focus not necessarily on what will make them happy, but the realities of life. How many thousands or hundred of thousands of individuals on this forum have completed their undergraduate degree in some arbitrary field and are now pursuing nursing because they are unable to find meaningful employment in their "blissful" career choice? They have also exhausted their financial aid/student loan allotment and are confronted with how they are going to pay for their second degree. Additionally, most colleges/universities are attaching severe cost penalties for students who amass course credits over a certain amount, essentially encouraging students to graduate as quickly as possible.

I know many students who have completed undergraduate degrees in "soft" majors are are now working minimum wage jobs (and yes, back home with their parents) because they choose the easy way out.

To the OP, is it that you are "bad" at the sciences or you just haven't given it your all? What resources have you taken advantage of at your College to improve your performance in your science courses? If you are definitely going to fail the course I would drop it, but wouldn't necessarily change major just yet or rush to major in Social Work. There might be much better options available.

I would suggest you consult your parents and have a frank discussion with them about your career options. They have valuable life experiences that can help you craft a way forward. There is a reason why certain college majors attract low wages or students cannot find suitable employment after graduation. Trod carefully!

Follow YOUR bliss.
Not your parents or any one else's.
Period.

michelleh913, NP · Oct 21, 2014

I have a previous Bachelors in Psychology, and worked as a case manager in a psychiatric facility. The work was demanding but rewarding. The pay was not a reward for the education or effort. In my area I was able to get hired directly out of school. However it takes considerable time to build up the experience and contacts for advancement in the field and monetarily.

I prefer the science and hands on patient care of nursing. However I do utilize many of the skills I developed in that field at clinical.

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Oct 21, 2014

Really????
.... and what will happen when one follows their "bliss" and cannot find a job in the chosen field and end up returning to live with Mom and Dad for an extended period of time? One should not based their career choices on easy majors or as some would put it, on their passion. The real world dictates that one should focus not necessarily on what will make them happy, but the realities of life. How many thousands or hundred of thousands of individuals on this forum have completed their undergraduate degree in some arbitrary field and are now pursuing nursing because they are unable to find meaningful employment in their "blissful" career choice? They have also exhausted their financial aid/student loan allotment and are confronted with how they are going to pay for their second degree. Additionally, most colleges/universities are attaching severe cost penalties for students who amass course credits over a certain amount, essentially encouraging students to graduate as quickly as possible.
I know many students who have completed undergraduate degrees in "soft" majors are are now working minimum wage jobs (and yes, back home with their parents) because they choose the easy way out.
To the OP, is it that you are "bad" at the sciences or you just haven't given it your all? What resources have you taken advantage of at your College to improve your performance in your science courses? If you are definitely going to fail the course I would drop it, but wouldn't necessarily change major just yet or rush to major in Social Work. There might be much better options available.
I would suggest you consult your parents and have a frank discussion with them about your career options. They have valuable life experiences that can help you craft a way forward. There is a reason why certain college majors attract low wages or students cannot find suitable employment after graduation. Trod carefully!

Social Work is not a soft science, exactly. We have SW at my hospital and they are awesome. SW are decently paid and an asset in the healthcare community. Sociology on the other hand.....

OP, did you want to be a nurse before you failed these classes, or did you just go toward what your family pushed you to?

Nursing isn't for everyone, not everyone needs to be on the bandwagon. I however failed a chemistry and a biology (they were too high level for a freshman who didn't have strong bio foundation from high school). I turned around and aced my A & P and micro.

To be honest, I still hate some aspects of biology, but you do just have to find what's interesting for you.

Good luck in whatever you decide, but remember your parents can't dictate your entire life, at some point you have to make your own decisions.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Oct 21, 2014

I am absolutely convinced that one of the most crucial requirements for a happy life is being honest about one's own limitations. Despite our fantasies, not everyone is cut out to be a nurse or a professional ballplayer or rapper or trapeze artist or theoretical physicist or ____________ (fill in the blank). It's your life. Play to your own strengths rather than punishing yourself for failing to reach an unattainable goal.

elkpark · Oct 21, 2014

Really????
.... and what will happen when one follows their "bliss" and cannot find a job in the chosen field and end up returning to live with Mom and Dad for an extended period of time? One should not based their career choices on easy majors or as some would put it, on their passion. The real world dictates that one should focus not necessarily on what will make them happy, but the realities of life.

These days, plenty of new grad nurses can't find jobs and are living with their parents. It's rather cynical to imply that other people's "passion" is just a euphemism for wanting to do something "easy." IMO, one of the "realities of life" is that if you hate what you're doing all day, every day, there ain't enough money in the world to make that worthwhile. There is more to life than just $$$.

nursemeanie · Oct 21, 2014

I was a social worker before I was a nurse. I had always wanted to be a nurse but my family was not supportive of that at all. I did social work for a few years and then went to nursing school in my late 20's. There was another social worker in my class, too! You have to do what will make you happy. Most people will work for 40+ years, it really stinks to get out of bed every day to go to a job that makes you miserable.

pumpkinlover95 · Oct 21, 2014

Hmm. The thing is, I do not think nursing would make me miserable. But when I compare what a nurse does and what a social worker does for the world, I would want to help the world by being a social worker.