Nursing school in my 30s

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I've really been wanting a career change for a while now. i have been considering nursing for sometime now and am beginning to think about it more seriously. The catch? I am 33 years old. I do subscribe to the belief that it is never too late to go back to school, so that's not the issue, but I am in a place in my life where things will soon be busy and expensive. My boyfriend and I want to get married, have kids, and get a bigger house in the next few years. All these things seem daunting if I were to add nursing school to the mix, not to mention costly both monetarily as well as time-wise. I envision 3 options: 1) If I start school now, I will be 37 by the time I finish, and I worry about putting off having kids so late. 2) Have kids during my education. The idea of having kids during school seems overwhelming. 3) If I go the family route solely, I worry I may have regret for not following my nursing dream.

Any tips from people who have faced a similar situation?

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If you wait until the time is "right" you'll never do it. People make it through school with babies, houses, jobs, no jobs, marriages, divorces, deaths, ups, downs, you name it. Your limitations are only what you put on yourself :)

Good luck!

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Listen to your gut instinct about putting off kids until late and start your family first. You can start your nursing education later and it won't make any difference to your career.

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I am with waiting since you want to do so much right now. I had two kids when I started nursing school, had my third in the middle of it, and as you can imagine it's hard. Nursing school, shoot even getting into nursing school, is not easy and will place a lot of stress on you and your SO. I just graduated and passed boards so have a fresh memory on what it all involves.

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Specializes in Management, Med/Surg, Clinical Trainer.

I went back to school at 30 yrs old., Married, with 3 yr old twins. Was it is easy no....doable yes. I did my pre-regs part time the first year until my twins in school full time.

I graduated 4.5 years later with my BSN. Do not regret it and only wish I had done it sooner.

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Specializes in ED, med-surg, peri op.

I don't think you should put off nursing school. If that's what you wanna do right now then do it. All the other stuff is just talk about the future, who know what will happen? Unless you currently trying to have a baby right now. Like someone else said there's no perfect time to do things, and even if you have everything planned out sh*t happens and plans change. If nursing is what you want, go for it, everything else will sort itself out.

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I've really been wanting a career change for a while now. i have been considering nursing for sometime now and am beginning to think about it more seriously. The catch? I am 33 years old. I do subscribe to the belief that it is never too late to go back to school, so that's not the issue, but I am in a place in my life where things will soon be busy and expensive. My boyfriend and I want to get married, have kids, and get a bigger house in the next few years. All these things seem daunting if I were to add nursing school to the mix, not to mention costly both monetarily as well as time-wise. I envision 3 options: 1) If I start school now, I will be 37 by the time I finish, and I worry about putting off having kids so late. 2) Have kids during my education. The idea of having kids during school seems overwhelming. 3) If I go the family route solely, I worry I may have regret for not following my nursing dream.

Any tips from people who have faced a similar situation?

I went to school in my 30s and graduated at age 36. I was working in a low-paying, dead-end job at the time and had no prior degree. Having a baby during school would have been difficult as absences are taken very seriously and as few as two can cause one to fail a clinical component. Pregnancy can also make one feel pretty miserable and tired. Oh! ...and I was BROKE.

Anyway ...after I graduated and started working, I started trying to have a baby at the "advanced maternal age" of 36. Six years, multiple miscarriages and $80K+ later, I finally got one. My fertility doctor's office was always full of people just like me.

Have you completed your prerequisites for school yet? A good option might be to get those knocked out a few at a time. They can be challenging and you'll want all As, so a slow start is not a bad idea.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

You're going to be 37 in four years whether you become a nurse or not. There is no such thing as being "too old" to go to nursing school, and you have plenty of time to do that. You can take a few prerequisite classes while you're pursuing the American Dream; depending on the school you choose, the courses may be good for up to five years. Best of luck to you whatever you decide.

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Anyway ...after I graduated and started working, I started trying to have a baby at the "advanced maternal age" of 36. Six years, multiple miscarriages and $80K+ later, I finally got one. My fertility doctor's office was always full of people just like me.

Fertility doctors' offices everywhere are always full of people just like you.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

I became a paramedic at 31, an RN at 36, and I am having my first baby at 45. :) No fertility intervention, just had to wait for a good egg!

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If you can afford it, I would do kids first and part time nursing school.

Anyway, I would not put off a family because you never know what can happen, as other posters have mentioned.

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Specializes in Medsurg/Float Pool.

I'm 32 years old and am fixing to start my schools LPN program. And there are people much older than me that are going through it too. I plan on going on through to eventually get my BSN and that will take a few years considering where I'm starting from. You can do it!

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