if this is your 2nd (or 3rd!) career what was your first?..m

RNbeach, ASN, RN · Jul 26, 2002

Ok... I went to college for a year, was pursuing nursing.. stupidity kicked in.... So I left school and became a FLIGHT ATTENDANT! Did that for for 4 years.. then becam a Flight Attendant recruiter... that was kewl! went all over the country recruiting

Then When Eastern Airlines went out of business.. I was a newlywed and my hubby didn't want me far from home...

From there I was hired as a recruiter/admin/benefits administrator for a science museum... was there until 4 years ago. when I decided to stay home with the kids....

I just went back to work last year....again in H.R. for a small company... and now I am going to school to become a Nurse!

Although I have been fortunate enough in my life to really have jobs that I have loved, I really wish I would have stayed in school...

But.. the show must go on.... so better late than never!

Brenda

Carleigh · Jul 26, 2002

14 yrs. as a public school Spanish teacher! Had started nursing school in my early twenties but changed majors because I could only afford to go part-time and had always loved the Spanish language. Needless to say it was just time for me to move out of education. I was burnt out. I'm looking forward to caring for my patients.

SusanRN2004, RN · Jul 26, 2002

Wanted to be a nurse as long as I can remember--Grad. HS in 1975 at age 17, started college classes for nursing that summer--hated school-- thought I had better find out if I liked nursing enough to put up with school--took nurses aid training--worked at hospital 1 week-- could not handle job--got fired- :imbar --

Worked somewhere else while deciding what to do with my life--meet husband, married, had two kids, stayed at home with them and did volunteer work--at school, hospice, hospital, Red Cross.....--kids grew up and started collage--I got board with my life, started college with youngest son in 2000, (25 years after first attempt)--LOVE SCHOOL--after two years of pre-recs/co-recs start nursing classes next month.

Thought about getting a job at the hospital to see if I really would like nursing (especially after reading about all the problems on nursing boards) --decided I had already been that route and it did not work--decided I love school enough that even if I never got a job I would want to continue in school anyway. My kids should both graduate in 2002 and I will graduate in 2004. :cool:

ggfifirn05 · Jul 26, 2002

Like SusanRN 2004, I graduated high school in 1974, and planned on going to school to be a medical assistant...didn't think I was smart/rich enough to go to college to be a nurse. But LOVE intervened intervened anyway, and I moved out of my hometown right after high school graduation to live closer to my boyfriend. Got laid off from work as a bookkeeper four months later & had to move back home. Been working in the financial biz ever since (bookkeeping & securities/investments), married twice, raised my own two kids, and three of my 2nd husbands, and in the last year REALLY started thinking that there had to be more to life than this! The work I do now is interesting, very fast paced, and I am paid well for no college degree, and have quite a bit of responsibility, but I'm tired of worrying about other people's money, and seeing how it rules their lives...its very sad, in a way. Especially more so because it really isn't that important to me...helping people means so much more to me.

So, between the events of 11 September, my youngest child getting her driver's license (thereby eliminating my need to drive her everywhere) and the general malaise of the stock market (meaning I haven't had a raise in two years, and my company has laid off 15,000 people in the last eighteen months), I decided to finally pursue my dream of being a nurse. I love school,and will have enough of my prereqs completed by year end to apply for the nursing program that starts next May at my local community college, and God willing, graduate in fall of 2004.

I have no illusions about the politics of nursing, between the shortage and problems with admin, doctors, managed care, etc., but I deal with very similar problems in my current job, and I figure you will have these problems no matter what you do for a living. The bottom line is I feel I need to "nurture" something now that the kids are grown, and feel as if I'm really making a difference in someone's life, and nursing is probably the best way to accomplish that. And with all the different career paths in nursing, I will probably never be bored!

smg · Jul 26, 2002

I worked in Human Resources for a large company. I decided soon after taking the position that sitting in a cube was not what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

Talked to some friends who were nurses and decided that it would be a good fit for me.

Sure glad I did!!

subec · Jul 26, 2002

Nursing will be my second career. My first career was retail. During college, I worked part-time in retail and really enjoyed it. After college, I just stayed on in that field. I have done all aspects of retail from working for Federated Dept. Stores as a sales manager, to owning my own store. As much as I love retail, and all the wonderful things that I have learned, I'm ready for something new.

I start clinicals this fall, and if all goes well I'll graduate May 2004.

darby1 · Jul 26, 2002

I have worked as a carpenter/construction worker for over 20 years, and decided to go back to school. I love doing building work and at one time thought about getting my builders license. There's just so many factors that have to be in place for a person to be successful in the construction trades, that I decided against going into business for myself. I've worked for many years as a sub contractor and have been able to survive. I finally decided that I wanted out of the mud, and decided to try nursing. I know it's a big change, but I'm up to the challenge. I've been accepted into the ADN program, and will start nursing school in a few weeks. I just wish they would let me wear my work boots:rolleyes: !

Love-A-Nurse · Jul 26, 2002

i graduated hs in 1978 and enter a 4 year university the same year. my goal was to be a business major and stayed there 3 year taking classes. i have worked several jobs and without satisfaction. in 1990, i wanted to complete my degree at a different and closer school, but this particular class was not offered until the next quarter. i was told about a nursing assistant class and i would get paid for going so i did attend and competed the 3 months program. my rn instructor told me that she would reccommend me if need be but for me to go on to become a nurse. that same year, 1990, i took the placement lpn test and was accepted for fall 1990 and graduated 1991 (summer). i worked 1 year as a nursing assistant and have been and lpn for nearly 11 years. i still wasn't satisfied and wanted to go back to school in 1993 but it just wasn't working. so, in 2000, i decided i am going and after taking all the pre-reqs and general courses, i took the net exam may 4, 2002 and received my acceptance letter for the asn-rn program and i will start rn clinical august 26, 2002. if it is god's will, and me giving it all i have, i will graduate may 2004.

Mkue · Jul 26, 2002

hi all, nursing is 2nd career for me. transcribed medical records for many years and also worked for a cardiologist and really enjoyed that !!

enjoy people and being part of a team.

have 3 boys (young men) , going on 13, 14 and 20.

next year i will be a

:nurse:

uh, i graduated from high school after 1975 and before 1980..lol.

nice to meet you all

Love-A-Nurse · Jul 26, 2002

originally posted by mkue

uh, i graduated from high school after 1975 and before 1980..lol.

nice to meet you all

oh, that narrowed it down!

:chuckle

natsfanrn · Jul 26, 2002

I graduated HS in '79 and started college as a pre-vet major. Then I hit chemistry. Then I found out that everybody else wanted to be a vet and there were only about 20 or so vet schools in the entire country. Then I found out that only 7 or 8 people from my university (a major university, I might add) would be accepted into vet school. Then I found out that people with 4.0 averages, lots of experience and recommendations, etc., were "settling" for med or law school because they didn't stand a chance of getting into vet school. So I changed my major to journalism with an animal science minor, with the intention of writing about vet issues. This worked and I went on to write about equine health issues. When my daughter was born, I quit my job and went freelance. Started writing about human health and doing editing and proofreading work for a medical journal publisher. Finally realized that I was getting tired of reading and writing about health care, and that I wanted to actually DO something in health care. So here I am... Sorry to ramble on ad nauseum, but you asked... :coollook:

--karen