Nursing or Accounting.. Please help me decide.

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Hello everyone. I'm trying to figure out my career life and I am kinda, sorta lost. I'm currently 29 years old and unemployed. I was laid off a few months ago. I worked for a company for 9 years in the accounts receivable department. I liked it for the most part although not something I would want to do all my life simply because it was so centered specifically on one task (accounts receivable).

So I've been thinking these past couple months about my career, or lack thereof. I think I have my interests down to just 2. Nursing and Accounting.

I've wrote out some pro's and con's of each and would love any advice you can offer.

Accounting Pros:

-I could get a decent paying job with only 2 years of college, a great paying job with 4.

-I've always wanted to own my own company. With accounting I could have a bookkeeping/accounting/tax service company.

-My fiance(soon to be husband) could be involved in that business.

-I love doing stuff on the computer. With this career choice I would be on the computer alot.

-If I had my own company, I could choose to work only 4 days and different hours instead of the dreadful 5 days and 8-4 or 9-5 mundaneness.

Accounting Cons:

-I find it dreadful to get up to an alarm clock in the morning. With this career choice it would likely mean a Monday-Friday alarm clock wake up.

-Have to get dressed up every day.

-4 year degree required to make great money.

Nursing Pros:

-There are a ton of possibilites with Nursing. Lots of career paths.

-Little schooling needed. 2 years to become a registered nurse.

-Schedule flexibility. Could work 3 days a week on 12 hour shifts. Would not have to wake up to an alarm clock everyday.

-Wear scrubs. No dressing up.

Nursing Cons:

-No chance of every having my own company.

-Fiance could not be involved.

-Work nights and weekends and holidays.

I think the biggest things for me are the working holidays, weekends. My fiance and I are trying to have a baby, so I want to be there for everything. Also a big factor for me is getting up to an alarm clock everyday. I am not a morning person and in my last job I called out quite frequently because I could not get up. Now that I have been unemployed, I get up at a decent hour, probably 1/2 hour later than I used to at my previous job.. but it's not to an alarm clock going off. (if that makes any sense).

Ok so those are basically the pro's and con's of the things I think are important in my decision. Thank you to anyone who could help.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

Your Pros for Accounting out weights your Pros for Nursing. You mentioned your fiancee's involvement in your future Accounting business and so I assume you both had a discussion about this possibility.

Reviewing your cons for Nursing vs. Accounting, you would still need to wake up with an alarm clock for both, so your Accounting cons are less then Nursing.

Not once did you mention where you want to go in Nursing, you just mentioned there are "lots of career paths." Which one(s) are you taking?

In short, go with Accounting. I'm feeling the passion in your writing for the field of Accounting.

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Specializes in ER, CRITICAL CARE, COMMUNITY HEALTH.

You've made me want to change professions and I've been a nurse for nearly 25 years! Own my own business, great pay.....

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You've made me want to change professions and I've been a nurse for nearly 25 years! Own my own business, great pay.....

Nurses make great pay from what I hear.. don't ya?

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it seems to me your heart is more into accounting

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it seems to me your heart is more into accounting

Well I am glad all of you see that because I feel really confused.

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Why don't you try and shadow both an Accountant and a Nurse? That might help you decide which you would rather do. I will add that Nursing is no easy task and many, many people leave nursing after about 2-3 years of doing it.

Finally, I would take both an accounting class and a CNA class at the local community college and see which one is more your passion. I know a LOT of people that were in my CNA class decided on accounting and good for them for knowing what they want to do! Now is the time to figure out your career path and if it means taking 4 months to figure it out...well, that is just a drop in the hat considering if you take 2 years of classes toward your choice of career only to decide it wasn't the right one. Good luck!

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And no, nurses are not paid well for all that they do.

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In addition to a couple of glaring misconceptions about nursing, you appear to be motivated almost exclusively external factors. The only items you displayed any passion over were computers and sleeping late. Do you have any internal motivation to become a nurse?

Points where you are mistaken:

- Many business owners work absolutely insane hours. Additionally, many must make deals with the devil (banks, investors, partners) to keep their businesses running. It is very often nowhere near as autonomous as you think.

- "Little schooling needed" Wow. This one is just hilarious. Not only is there more than two years of schooling, the schooling once you get into a program is nothing like you saw in your previous degree and can in no way ever be described as "little."

- Getting up early. School Clinical days start at 6am sleepyhead - and NO, you don't get to pick a different shift. You think getting to work at 8 or 9 is hard? Try getting up in the middle of the damn night and going to work.

You forgot one other item. If you go into nursing, you are going to have to start over again at the bottom of the ladder. And guess what rolls downhill?

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Reading your post you have lots of pros for accounting and few for nursing. The few you do have for nursing are mostly questionable- great pay? sometimes, meaningful? sometimes, the part you hit on the best was the odd hours

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Oh and the little school needed? That is a huge misconception. Maybe onlyh two years but they will be two years of blood sweat and tears. I have another degree in a science field and it was nothing like nursing- blood sweat and tears and your life on hold for those two years.

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Specializes in Cardiac ICU.

Wow! It would have been nice to get my RN license in 2 years. It took me 5 years total at my university. 2 years for pre-reqs and 3 years for nursing school to get my BSN.

Before I got my RN, I was an accounting/finance assistant. I enjoyed that position because my co-workers were great, and I had pretty good perks. I also liked staying on front of a computer. And at one point my mathematics ability were equal to that of a calculator--ok maybe not, but I was quick to compute =). At that time I was also going to nursing school.

Now I'm a RN, completely different from what I used to do. I'm incredibly busy, but rewarding to me. I learn plenty and different things just about everyday I work. Yes, I work crazy hours and holidays too. But I have no children. It's up to you to know if this profession is something you want to have.

I just want to let you know it is possible to own your own business with your RN degree. My friend's dad has a RN license and very business-driven. He owns his own nursing registry, making some serious $$$.

Honestly, I would suggest doing a some more research on both of these professions. Best of luck!

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