Is it really worth it to get your bachelor in today's economy?

themoreyouknow · Oct 22, 2010

More costly than a good education is a lack of one. :)

Go for it.

blueheaven · Oct 22, 2010

You will find that the younger students will be turning to you for nuggets of clinical knowledge. Your experience will enrich their learning. Kudos to you for taking the bold step of earning your degree. I would have added "at your age," but considering I'm the same age as you, I will just give you a pat on the back. (actually, I hold my age as a badge of honor!)

Amen sis! At your age...LOLOL Geezers rule!!

Moogie · Oct 22, 2010

I'm thinking about starting a bsn-rn program,the reason for that is the hospitals in my state are not hiring and I work part-time in a home health care so I have some time on my hands although I'm planning to look for a second job in addition to working in a home health care (basically I want to have two jobs like maybe one in a doctor office and then keep my home health care)....also I would like get my bachelors since I havent been out of school that long (only since may 2009) I dont have any kid,I'm not married I live with my mom and have two dogs:)))) So pretty much I have some time on my hands but I know that with having two jobs (as I'm planning to have,one full time and a second home health job as part time) and full time school for bachelors I will be insanely busy?! Is it doable?!

I would caution you against trying to work two jobs while going to school full-time. I worked almost full-time (64 hours a week) at a hospital while going for my BSN full-time and, while it was doable, there were still times when it was difficult to balance the demands of work with the demands of school. I did not find the coursework of the BSN program to be quite as demanding as my ADN program, but, with the added responsibility of making a living for myself, I didn't have as much time to study as I would have liked.

One misconception that many people have about online classes is that, because they can be flexible, one can take them in one's "spare time". Think of school as another job. You will still have deadlines to meet, regardless of work or personal obligations, and you may find yourself putting far more hours into online classes than you did into traditional classes. You want to do justice to both of your jobs---home health and school. Don't overburden yourself with the responsibility of a part-time job in addition to all of this. You will burn yourself out and, somewhere along the line, you won't be giving 100% effort to something.

Don't forget, everyone needs a little downtime. Busy is good. Insanely busy is not good for your body, mind, or soul.

Good luck to you on your journey!

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 22, 2010

More costly than a good education is a lack of one. :)
Go for it.

Oooo... I really like that saying. I'll probably use it someday. I hope you don't mind.

Ambitiouz · Jan 15, 2012

I'm thinking about starting a bsn-rn program,the reason for that is the hospitals in my state are not hiring and I work part-time in a home health care so I have some time on my hands although I'm planning to look for a second job in addition to working in a home health care (basically I want to have two jobs like maybe one in a doctor office and then keep my home health care)....also I would like get my bachelors since I havent been out of school that long (only since may 2009) I dont have any kid,I'm not married I live with my mom and have two dogs:)))) So pretty much I have some time on my hands but I know that with having two jobs (as I'm planning to have,one full time and a second home health job as part time) and full time school for bachelors I will be insanely busy?! Is it doable?!Also I hear it is easier to land a hospital job with a bachelor degree..I have seen many ads where it says Bachelor preffered but then again I have met some BSN new grads from good reputable school who cant find jobs,then again I'm sure it is easier to get in one of those new grad programs right.I feel that now my priority is find a good job and getting a nursing experience but with this economy I feel that I might as well go back to school.I wasted one year and by now I would arleady have had half of my bachelor and since I cant find a full time hospital job I feel like I wasted so much of time whereas I could be working toward my education,then again I'm afraid to comitt to a two year program study,what if a good hospital job comes along (one can dream right?) and I will get all those loans for my bachelors and then I fail the classes??? Are there any nurses out there who managed to work full time (and also had another part time job) and managed to finished RN-BS program (online).Did your life changed after that,did your career took a better turn>was it worth it?

I don't know if it's worth it yet. I just completed my BSN in December 2011, which took 3 semesters going part-time, all while working full-time. The rn-bsn program was like a part-time job to me. So I dont know about 2 jobs and school fulltime because then you probably would be insanely busy if you want the best grades possible, but certaintly it's doable because everyone defines busy differently. But I'd advise to get it as cheaply as possible.