NEED CAREER ADVICE!

Possibly unpopular opinion coming, but it ties into a trend I've noticed over the years.

I think the possessive you used "my kid's extracurriculars" is worth noting. THEIR activities. Kids will survive without parents being at every. single. thing. (In fact, they may enjoy the break and sense of independence; maybe not at 4 and 6, but later on...) ?

My brother-in-law's daughter played college field hockey for a big New England college. He and his wife felt the need to show up at every game. One time, they had an important engagement early in the morning the day after a game, but they drove from the Boston area to Syracuse to attend that game- and drove back the same day.

I'm only saying this because you will find any kind of personal/professional development very difficult if you don't allow yourself some dedicated "you" time...

2 minutes ago, Jedrnurse said:

Possibly unpopular opinion coming, but it ties into a trend I've noticed over the years.

I think the possessive you used "my kid's extracurriculars" is worth noting. THEIR activities. Kids will survive without parents being at every. single. thing. (In fact, they may enjoy the break and sense of independence; maybe not at 4 and 6, but later on...) ?

My brother-in-law's daughter played college field hockey for a big New England college. He and his wife felt the need to show up at every game. One time, they had an important engagement early in the morning the day after a game, but they drove from the Boston area to Syracuse to attend that game- and drove back the same day.

I'm only saying this because you will find any kind of personal/professional development very difficult if you don't allow yourself some dedicated "you" time...

I get where you are coming from, and as they are older I'm sure they will be on their own at practices, but as far as games, I won't miss those. I grew up needing rides from everyone else's mom and feeling badly asking to join sports due to money/having no family car. I get one chance to raise them and become involved in all they do, and that is why for me, it is non-negotiable. Every family is different, but for us, mom always being there is what works. It's like a double-edged sword. Miss out and continue my education for an amazing career, or settle for a career that I'm sure I will like and be there for everything and not need to worry about arrangements for them.

Thank you, I loved how you worded this. ❤️ 

In a world where everyone is obtaining the next degree, it makes it hard to ensure I'm doing the right thing. I always have to remember, I am not them, and I do not have the support system they have as far as a built in grandma who babysits everyday. 

At this point in time, I think going back to school would rob me of happiness and the stability I am looking to create with this change. 

Thank you  ❤️

While I was replying to you, the urologist office called me back. The interview was not set in stone because I told them I couldn't start at 730am and I needed a start time of 8am. I thought that would be a deal breaker, but she said "Let me talk to the doctor, I'm sure we can work something out."

She just called me and they are interviewing me tomorrow, they said the 8am start time is something they can work out. I think that is a great sign, that this may be the route for me. 

1 minute ago, Wuzzie said:

Just be aware in any office/clinic situation there are a lot, and I mean a lot of days that you will not get out on time.

I appreciate your honesty with that. She stated to me on the phone that the current MA doing this position is finished on time everyday and two days a week the MD is out of the office so she catches up on paperwork and things.

I do worry that the position is interchangeable from MA to LPN that the pay will be pretty low.

I followed a similar course as you CNA-LVN-RN. I took a break while my kids were little  ( after working as LVN for 3 years) I went back to get my RN at 36 and that worked just fine. I worked another 20 years as an RN. So being 27, you have lots of time. I would say to follow your heart, take the position that lets you balance your career with parenting and go to school later when they are older. I never regretted it.

Best of luck with the urologist office. A lot of places do use MA and LPN interchangeably. If the hours are convenient and guaranteed, then a slightly lower pay might be worthwhile.

It sounds like you have a lot going on, and your heart is just not in RN school right now. You can always go back when you are ready. But keep an eye on the future. Eventually, you might want a wider range of job opportunities at better pay in the future. Life is unpredictable too.

Also, don't make the childcare issues only your problem. Childcare is a family issue. I worked weekend days since the kids were born, and making sure my husband did real childcare (not babysitting like my own father did), made a real difference in our family.

9 minutes ago, RNperdiem said:

Best of luck with the urologist office. A lot of places do use MA and LPN interchangeably. If the hours are convenient and guaranteed, then a slightly lower pay might be worthwhile.

It sounds like you have a lot going on, and your heart is just not in RN school right now. You can always go back when you are ready. But keep an eye on the future. Eventually, you might want a wider range of job opportunities at better pay in the future. Life is unpredictable too.

Also, don't make the childcare issues only your problem. Childcare is a family issue. I worked weekend days since the kids were born, and making sure my husband did real childcare (not babysitting like my own father did), made a real difference in our family.

Thank you for input. I actually (although maybe unprofessional) emailed the interviewer for the Denial Analyst job inquiring about salary. She states it is 50,000K a year. I'm sure that will be far more than I would make in the Dr's office. The hours are both the same..I will just go to both interviews I suppose and make a decision after going over everything. 

2 hours ago, NurseChristinaB said:

I grew up needing rides from everyone else's mom and feeling badly asking to join sports due to money/having no family car. I get one chance to raise them and become involved in all they do, and that is why for me, it is non-negotiable.

Not trying to dissuade you and I completely understand making a parenting decision with a goal of correcting something from the past or feeling like you are correcting course, so-to-speak. I think many, many parents do that whether they recognize it or not.

But....being a little bit mistaken still isn't great just because it's the opposite of what you wanted to avoid. (Does that make sense?) You will feel like you are righting some misfortune from your past, but your kids can't be expected to ever feel that way because they haven't lived your life, you know? They won't necessarily feel the gratitude or understand how much "better" they had it. I understand wanting to be true to things that you want to change, I really do get it. But it's still very wise to understand that without flexibility we all simply run the risk of creating a different monster. It might be different, but very well could still be a monster.

Anyway, my $.02.

As far as your original question, MHO is a top priority (if it can be done without literally neglecting everything else) is to get into a financial position ASAP that will make it possible for you to prioritize other things besides an employer's needs well into the future. Children, family, sanity, sense of self, whatever. Again, just an opinion, but if you can miss some events for just a few years to put yourself in an even better financial position for the rest of your life and your kids' lives? I'd do that.