Not looking back.....

[hopeNstar]

when does this feeling come easy? just a quick little background on me, i am originally from texas *love my san antonio spurs*. my husband is in the military and we are now stationed in mississippi. i have been a personal injury paralegal for the past 7 years and honestly have been successful and made good money. however, my heart is not in it. i do not feel like i am doing any good for the world. i've always had that feeling that nursing is what i should have done. after i graduated high school i was planning on going to nursing school. however, i ended up going overseas and it didn't happen. i went to paralegal school instead. for the past year i have been going to school part time trying to take the pre-reqs and working a very stressful job that required long hours. this summer we were transferred to mississippi. it was a huge decision to sell my house and give up the security of my job and moving to ms. i'm 27 and at that point now where i know if i don't just do it (try to get into a rn program) i will continue to have that feeling of regret. however, i'm having this nagging feeling i guess maybe that i am being selfish by not working or bringing in an income. i'm also scared of failure. what if i do not get into a rn program? my husband is super supportive and is completely okay w/ me doing this. i am scheduled to start a cna program at the local community college as well as taking a&p ii and trying to register for a couple of more classes. this is a huge plunge for me as i know a lot of you have made. i guess i'm scared of giving up my career and attempting to start a second career. i'm trying to supplement a small portion of my income by becoming a cna, as well as more importantly get clinical experience. i'm just waiting for the feeling of no regrets...not looking back. when did you become completely comfortable with your decision to quit working and/or give up your career. thanks for reading all of this and any comments.

[WDWpixieRN, RN]

I'm 50, stayed home and raised kids for many years, and finally finished a BS in MIS '99. I have worked for the past 6 years in IT, and realized very quickly in to that career how much I hated it. I sit in a cube, create documentation no one really cares about once it's met its deadline, work with users who can sometimes be so demanding and obnoxious about nothing that's really life-and-death, and don't have many options with my schedule or job duties.

You are only in your 20's and worried about switching careers? Give yourself a break....if you end up not liking nursing, you have about 40 years of worklife ahead of you to return to what you're doing or try something else. I forget how many careers they say people have on average these days. Lucky you if you can figure it out sooner rather than later.

As for the financial end of things, if you have a supportive husband who's behind you on this, I wouldn't lose a minute of sleep over it. Unless you're out in the malls spending more than the two of you can make, take this wonderful opportunity you've got!! :)

[JaxiaKiley]

Sometimes, you just have to follow your heart. It isn't always easy, but it is worth it in the end. It is nice to hear that your husband is supportive. Good luck to you!