Bopeepinwv 22 Posts Has 2 years experience. Dec 30, 2007 It seems that your passion lies in teaching. I work at a VA hospital and we have very good retirement benefits. I will be able to retire in 20 years. I have only been here approximately 8 months and already have 3000 dollars in my retirement fund. So there is help with retirement for nurses. My insurance is thru my husband, so sorry can't help you with that part. Also, my starting salary was 41,500, that's alittle more then want you quoted for teaching.You seem very mature for your age. It's nice to hear a young adult wishing to make something of themselves instead of wondering where the next party is. I commend you. I also think it's great that you wish to stay in GA near your family. I'm not sure if any of this helps, but I would just say to go where your heart leads you. The best thing you could do is pick a career you would enjoy. I know alot of people who have to go to a job they HATE everyday.
HM2VikingRN, RN 4,700 Posts Dec 30, 2007 Consider doing both....There is a critical shortage of nurse educators....As a public health nurse you could work in the school as a nurse or teach biology. Nursing involves a substantial amount of direct teaching to patients, families and other staff. Follow your passion and the money will follow.One of the reasons teachers have satisfying lives is that they tend to buy a house and pay it off. They also have a joy and love of learning which tends to carry them off into retirement.
Jabramac 94 Posts Dec 30, 2007 I applaude you for considering the long term financial aspects of these careers. I think what is most important for you is to consider which job you will enjoy doing the best. Interestingly, I have know many teachers who have become nurses, and many nurses who have become teachers. Since you clearly are an excellent planner, and you are keeping the long term goals in mind, I have no doubt that no matter which field you end up in you will develop your own plan for retirement. What about being a school nurse? Some districts (at least where I live) include school nurses on the teachers contract.
Daytonite, BSN, RN 4 Articles; 14,603 Posts Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt. Has 40 years experience. Dec 30, 2007 i think you've been concentrating your searching efforts regarding retirement in the wrong direction. there is no law that says you have to accept the retirement plan that any employer offers you! at your age, the smartest thing for you to do is to go to a financial planner and start your own retirement account and planning now for your retirement. then, it doesn't matter if you are a teacher or a nurse or who you work for. you would contribute to your own retirement savings yourself over the years. that would be the smarter thing to do. the best retirement plans for employees are usually offered to those who work for the u.s. government and those who work for the large blue chip corporations.by the way, there are a number of teachers in my family. science and math teachers are in great demand. one of my nieces is a physics and math teacher. she gets tuition reimbursement from her school district to continue the classes she needs to take toward her master's degree. the school district you work for will determine the length of time you need to get your additional education and certifications. also, i don't know what the job prospects are in georgia, but it is not always that easy for teachers to change or find jobs unless you are in an area that is really, really hurting for teachers. it took my niece 3 years of applying to a number of school districts in order to find another teaching job. it's different in nursing. you can usually get a nursing job very easily.
Jules A, MSN 8,863 Posts Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner. Dec 30, 2007 This is kind of OT but I thought all young people wanted to get out and explore the world after graduation. You can always go back when you are ready to settle down and have children if you feel that the area and schools etc. are particularily good for them. I couldn't get out of "dodge" fast enough, lol. Best of luck with whatever you decide and I agree that it is admirable to see a young person planning so far in advance.
BiologyNerd 111 Posts Dec 30, 2007 Another question:How much $ should I put away each month in building up a retirement fund? And is the best way to do it to use a 401k?
luvschoolnursing, LPN 651 Posts Specializes in School Nursing. Has 23 years experience. Dec 31, 2007 I agree with daytonite. You need to talk to a financial planner if you want to go into nursing, they can help you. I commend you for planning ahead. One good thing about nursing if you want a family is the flexibility of working part time and off shifts while your kids are little. That's what I did, so my kids were never in day care. Keep in mind that I was very fortunate to have a husband who had a steady job with health benefits.Now I work full time as a school nurse and I'm home when my kids are home. I'm not a teacher, but I get to be in the high school where I want to be and be with the kids and am part of the teacher's contract with all the benefits that go with it. I won't have that great of a retirement from the school, because I'll only have about 25 years in there when I retire, but we have been saving through other plans since we were first married. Again, congrats on thinking ahead!
