Is pursuing a BSN smart in 2016

I think the main question is, are you satisfied with where you are right now in your career? If not nursing, what other fields are you considering? Also, do you have a passion for nursing? You need to find out what a nurse is for yourself. Go shadow a nurse and see if it might be a good job for you. Nursing isn't for everyone either but I don't think the forum speaks for every nurse. I also don't think a happy nurse would spend his/her time on a forum, saying that they regret their decision. Every point you listed is possible but it really depends on location of jobs and personality type of the person. Some places are more saturated than others. And whether nursing is a good field, it depends on the person. Some people go into the field for the money; that would be someone more likely to regret their decision imo because it really is a tough job. But it's different for everyone. Like I said, speak to the nurses around you or ask them to show you what they do and you'll know if it's right for you or not. Well that being said, if I was you, I'd do the above. Nursing school is difficult and requires time commitment and you are right for thinking about this all now.

No I am not. I went to school for pharm tech as a way to get myself out of the minimum wage job market until I figure out what I really would like to do.

I currently am not considering any other careers. But I think I would love to stay in Health care.

Im attracted to nursing because I do enjoy challenging work and I think it's a very self rewarding career.

I like the variety it offers with different specialities, advancements, and the ability to travel. I'm currently interested in pediatric work which could very well change once I'm in school.

I have the idea that my dream would be a traveling NICU nurse at least for a couple years. And of course a CRNA. But there's so many options for a RN I think I could find a few pathways I'd be happy with.

I do look at nursing as a job that makes decent money (at least in my hometown) I think expected wage for a RN is around $25/hr and cost of living here is realativly low. I've seen higher wages quoted on all nurses and I'm willing to relocate.

I love learning and I love science and math concepts. Going to nursing school is very exciting to me and I'm eager to learn.

I have a year to decide and I very well should shadow some nurses.

My main concern is I do not want to invest the time or money into a downward spiraling career (such as lowering wages and benefits/difficulty finding a job/low job satisfaction due to having to provide "customer service" to patients beyond caring for them)

Nursing does seem like a tough and physically demanding job. I'm all for putting my all into a career and I will work my butt off to do the best I can but I want to be compensated. If I'm working hard I want to be able to provide a satisfying life for myself and eventually a family.

I work in an area that is saturated with nursing schools and it took me about a month and a half to find a job (almost 4 years ago). When I hear things like "the market is too saturated" I take it with a grain of salt. That is because I realize that the person who has the most to do with what happens to you is you. You have to stand out and apply yourself. If you do that it will show and employers will hire you. After you get a little experience, say a year, it is much easier to switch specialties or apply for a new position.

To answer your question about pay, that is very market dependent. If you work in an area with a large supply of experienced RNs and low demand, the pay for your area is likely to be lower than another area where the reverse is true. However, if you gain some experience, and work a little overtime, your pay will eventually catch up. If you do travel nursing, and especially in a specialty area like NICU, you are likely to make plenty of money. Also, with the ACA, the government is now dumping more money into healthcare, not less. The problem is that nurses are seen as expense, and are an additional cost for hospitals. This is in contrast to physicians and other providers that can bill for their services. They charge the patient for the supplies we use, and the PRN meds we give, but we are still seen as a cost. The reason I bring that up is that hospitals in my experience are attempting to do more with less. That are cutting staff and increasing our workload all the time. That being said, if you want to have better working conditions, you have to stay away from floor nursing and go into a specialty like you were talking about doing ASAP.