Keep current job or find something in health care field?

[noellelynn]

Good Morning all...

I currently work in the engineering field. I don't like my job, that's why I'm here, and going back to school for what I want to be doing-nursing! I currently work within the field I went to college (the first time) for, have been working at this company for just over a year. I hate it. But it allows me to pay the bills, and take classes currently prereqs for a nursing program. My job is driving me nuts-it feels so meaningless and frustrating. To make matters worse, a co-worker will be leaving the company soon for another job in another state. She was my saving grace! She felt exactly as I did about the job and it was really someone to talk to and understand how I was feeling. She was going to apply to nursing school with me as well. Anyways, now she will be leaving soon, it'll be even harder to go to work there everyday. I wonder if I should look into a job in the health care field, since I want to go to nursing school, or if I should just try to stick it out, until I'm done with nursing school. If I took a job elsewhere, including the healthcare field, I'd probably be taking about a 50% paycut...which wouldnt be helpful at all....not to mention, what if I dont get into nursing school? If Im not cut out for it? Then I've quit my job in engineering and have to start all over from square one finding a job with that again? I'm so sure nursing is what I want, but it's all those what if's that have me scared. Does it seem a little premature to be quitting a well-paying job (that makes me miserable) when i havent even gotten in to nursing school yet? I gues everyone's situation is different, but I guess I already know the answer to my question, just wanting some other opinons of what you'd do if you were in my situation? Thanks a bunch!

[genaluvya, LPN]

I think you should keep your job because it pays for your education and help you survive. what if you cant get another job quickly enough to help you? What will u do?

[samyaira]

You are smart to be thinking about all of these things before you quit your job. Probably it is this intelligence that has served you well in your engineering field and will serve you admirably when (not if) you become a nurse.

The way I read it, since you cannot just quit and *poof* become a nurse you need to decide if you want to quit your engineering job and do something else while you are pursuing nursing. Which doesn't sound like a nursing question at all, but rather if you prefer to keep the high salary or do something else entirely.

On the one hand, you can save for nursing school if you retain your current job. On the other hand, you might not get into nursing school if you don't get a job in the health care field.

My advice? Volunteer in health care. Volunteer hours look just as good as work hours on an application, you can keep your high salary and figure out if this is really what you want to do. Plus you'll be helping out where its needed. Win-Win.

[samyaira]

bleah. edited because I can't figure out how to delete a duplicate post.

[rayele]

I agree. Keep your current job and volunteer for atleast 6 mos. in the Health Care industry (if you can handle staying at your job that long). I applied to volunteer at a hospital near by and since I was studying in the Nursing field, they put me in the E.R. unit. I'm getting so much hands on experince and interact with nurses daily. I even have Doctors or Nurses asking for help with a patient sometimes, so I've seen alot. That way if you finally decide to take a lower paying job in the healthcare field, you can put that on your resume and maybe qualify for a higher paying position. Another fast tepping stone is to maybe get your Phlebotomy License (takes about 6 weeks on avg.) and once you take the state exam and pass, you can work in Doctors office or hospitals-however that too doesn't pay much.

Hope I didn't confuse you more.:wink2:

[bitter_sweet]

I also agree with the above posters. I think you should keep your job to pay bills, tuition, etc., and if you have extra time, volunteer in a hospital. However, I've talked to several professors at my school and they say many graduate nurses are hired even without having hospital experience.

[andpeggy]

I'm a bit late to this post, but wow! Great advice to this poster. I wish I would've found this thread a long time ago. Noellelynn, if it helps, I've been in a similar boat as you for awhile now, and I've decided to keep my corporate job, if only for the paycheck. It doesn't sound quite as bad as yours, but some days, I really do hate it. However, it pays the bills and I know that a steady income will help keep me focused during my evening/weekend nursing program. I agree with the volunteering suggestion, if you have time; I volunteered for awhile in an ER and in an ICU, and although the actual work was boring, it was very eye-opening to me to just see how a unit runs. I'm hoping to volunteer again while I'm in school. Thanks everyone!

Lola

[Snowii]

My advisor told me to keep my current job (I manage a computer lab on campus to help people with computer stuff) but try to volunteer at a nursing home or hospital to get experience. Applications don't say *PAID* experience. Anyway, next semester and over the summer (some how I have to work, do CNA and volunteer... ugh) I will be shadowing a nurse at the teaching hospital a few hours a week and then after I get my CNA hopefully get a better volunteer or even paid position. But that's pretty far away for now. :)