Planning advice needed

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I am hoping all of the lovely ladies and gentlemen at allnurses.com can give me some much needed career advice. As a background, I am 25, happily married for three years, live in Chicago, and went to art school for painting. I am strongly considering going into nursing as a career. This would mean doing all of my pre-reqs, probably some volunteer work to get in school, a bsn or gem program, and finally sweet sweet graduation. My husband and I are also strongly considering having (2) kids soon. I really want to be able to stay home with them when they are young (before preschool). Right now I am leaning towards having the kids now, doing pre-reqs slowly while they are young, and going to school full time when they start school. Am I setting myself up for major stress later on? I am fairly smart but I don't think I can just cruise through nursing school. Is it very hard taking time off and re-entering the field later on? I'd love to hear from people who have done both!

And btw, I think there is never THE right time to have kids, so we just decided to go ahead and have them. There always will be reasons why to postpone. In the worst case I prefered to postpone my studies one year. It is my second career, and I'm 29.

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I am 28 and in my first semester of nursing school. I had to make this decision last year. I opted for school now and babies later. So far it has been the right decision because nursing school is really tough and time-intensive.

I won't lie - I am jealous of my two best friends with their new babies... but I'll get there someday. Someday shortly after May 2012 when I graduate and am finally a nurse. :)

Good luck - it's a tough decision!!

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As far as the CNA certificate goes... I really wish I'd done it. While our instructors said that CNAs actually were at a disadvantage as far as the schooling went, I think they've had an easier time finding jobs. Job market is really tight here right now and I'm still looking for work. A friend let me know that someone where she works is quitting soon :) I am putting in an application -fingers crossed-.

I'm sure that either way, there are pros and cons. My class included single people not even in a relationship (me), newlyweds, people with young children (some being their first) some who had their first near the end of school, some with children all in school, and even some whose children were all adults now.

Each one of us had different challenges. Personally, I wouldn't put off family or school for the other. I've known people who it took 5 or even 10 years to get pregnant.

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NancyPie, why would a CNA be at a disadvantage? Are you referring to working a lot during schooling? Good luck on your job hunt.

Thanks for so many people piping in with their experiences. I really appreciate it!

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Specializes in ob, med surg.

I say have your kids first, volunteer when you can, and add in prereqs. You really don't know what your pregnancy will be like, or if your babies will be challenged in some way or another. When you get that out of the way, you can start volunteering to see if nursing is REALLY what you want to do. Another option would be to become a CNA which would give you an insight into nursing and the medical profession and let you see if you like that kind of work, and it would give you an income and some flexibility with your family obligations. Then take your prereqs as you can. OR get your nursing degree first, maybe an Associates, and have your kids and work on your BSN. I understand that puts off having your kids, but you are still young. Don't underestimate how difficult it will be to do both at the same time. I say one or the other and then build around that.

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to SMOKEY2112: I live next to you in River West. The area is pretty darn awesome so far.

to Copperismydog: Husband is 29, so not much older. None of my friends have kids and most aren't married. I already have a bachelors is art and enough traveling and parties to last me a while. The reason I want kids now is first of all, I want the extra energy of youth. And secondly, I have had the baby fever for two years now. I see other people's toddlers in the park or whatever and I get super jealous. I had about the best weekend ever hanging out with my niece and nephew in our last Tulsa visit. I want my grandpa (the only one left) to see his great grandchildren before its too late. He isn't dying, but he is getting pretty old. I want to be around a lot when they are very young without racking up a lot of student loans from school and quitting work to be around them.

At the same time, not having a good career is killing me. Even though she maybe wouldn't admit it in these words, I feel like my mom's career got pushed way way to the side to accommodate my dad's. She studied greek and german language and literature and old testament history for her masters. She eventually started teaching high school when I was in middle school and is embarrassed enough about her career they she has never gone to a college reunion.

I watch my husband and his work friends (he is a pathologist's assistant) and lots of high school and college friends having a lot of awesome jobs or being satisfied with the years of establishing themselves as artists. I feel like only half an adult around them, despite working my butt off in school. And like mjmoon mentioned, god forbid something happened to hubby, I would be screwed nine ways till Sunday.

So anyways, sorry about writing a book. Maybe I just needed to vent.

Just seeing this now... River West is very close...I live near North and Ashland. So which programs are you going to apply to? I really wanted to go to Truman but I haven't taken Chemistry yet..so I'm just going to apply just about everywhere else I can.

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I still need to do all my prereqs, so thats going to be at least a few semesters. I was leaning towards the general entry masters. Rush and DePaul's program look interesting. The current plan is to try to conceive and do my prereqs at Truman at the same time. I would slow down a lot as soon as I had a kid or perhaps a difficult pregnancy. I want two kids I think, so when the younger one is ready for preschool, I will probably start the actually nursing program. That is unless I have problems conceiving. Then I would probably just keep on going with school till they arrive. Does Truman's program have a big wait list?

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That sounds like a plan... Otay..the whole thing about the waitlists being years long and all that stuff really isn't true...sure it might take people years to get into a program..but as far as I know..you aren't on a waitlist for years..maybe it was like that back in the day..but now...if you don't in or if you're on a waitlist..you and everybody else in that same boat just have to reapply next year...all of the waitlists go away each year...does that make sense?

Both Rush and Depaul have good programs...if I had a bachelor's already, that's what I would do...I'm hesitant about getting a BSN because I'm already taking classes to get a BS in Criminology and Criminal Justice...and I think I heard you can't qualify for the Pell Grant anymore when you already have a Bachelor's..so I don't want to mess that up... I'm looking to apply to programs this spring to try to get in for the fall for an ASN.

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Another thing I wanted to mention to you...since you mentioned when the younger one is ready for preschool, you starting the actual nursing program. Do you plan on staying in Chicago? If so, I would actually start doing your research on preschools/grade schools etc.. Being in Chicago, there are alot of schools..but being in Chicago there are only private schools and the CPS system...and the private schools here are expensive! Back when my oldest..who is 15 years old now... was in preschool/nursery school.....his program that was just 4 days a week... approx. 2 hours and 45 mins a day..the tuition was over $5000...the tuition now is almost $7000...so that's something to think about that you might have thought about yet. You being and school and then having to pay for a preschool...that can get expensive! Living in Chicago is expensive enough as it is!

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I went to school and took most of my prereqs off and on throughout my oldest child's young life. I wasn't planning on nursing but I took all my prereqs then except for the sciences. It was a great way to get out of the house and have some adult conversation and feel as though I was still accomplishing something towards my future while giving me more flexibility than most part time jobs would have. If I felt too harried, I just took fewer classes the next semester or took a semester off. I was also able to schedule my classes where my young son only needed childcare a few hours a week. My youngest is now 3 and started preschool this fall, I started cramming in all of my science prereqs so I can hopefully start nursing school in the fall. Things are very harried and stressful right now because I am having to cram in double science classes since deciding to do nursing. (Because our financial situation has worsened I need to get my license and start working asap).I will be starting nursing school next fall hopefully. I know it will be difficult but I hardly think it will be anymore difficult than trying to work my way up the ladder at a career. My best friend is an RN and feels that I should be able to handle nursing school fine since the only classes I will have to take are actual nursing classes/clinicals. If you aren't in a big hurry and you have an income that makes it possible I think your plan might work really well. I wanted to add my experience to the "collective wisdom" here for you or anyone in a similar situation who might read this. Good Luck to all of us future nurses and future or curent moms. We were having a similar discussion at school the other day. Having it all is always hard no matter how you arrange it, but so rewarding.

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Specializes in Home health was tops, 2nd was L&D.

I have been RN for 23 yrs. I started pre-reqs with newborn, 2yo, and 6yo, and was going thru divorce, no family support. Nursing school was immediate afterwards. Kids were in daycare or school. My biggest problem was sitters for youngest quitting night before clinicals!!!! and it happened 2 x with different sitters till I just went with professional daycare.

Hard, you bet!! Would I have liked it more without kids, you bet! But we do what we need to do to survive. My kids cut their teeth on nursing books, all are survivors! And with all this I graduated with Honors in top 2% of class, but I worked my butt off. Considered CNA route but decided against it. Once in Nursing school you can work as CNA then, I did and got experience I needed to land job I wanted after graduation.

My suggestion is to start school and do all you can, volunteer or work alittle on the side, If you get pregnant then make decisions. many women change their minds about things after they have kids, but taking pre-req can not be taken away from you. Who knows what you will want down the road. Life happens!

My motto: Life is uncertain...Eat dessert first!!

best of luck, you will achieve what you really want!

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I am also 25 and I have a 5 year-old, and I constantly wish I had gotten my degree before I had a child. I waited until she turned 5 to go back to school, for me it would have been so trying to do it prior to this age. She can finally understand that mommy has to go to work, mommy has to go to school, mommy will spend time with her this weekend. It's very tough on both of us.

The classes aren't difficult compared to the school/work/family/life balance. A young child needs his or her mother. I don't know, honestly, whatever you decide, you may regret it and wish you had picked the other option. You just need to prepare yourself for those feelings.

I wish.. I really wish I had understood how imperative it was to go to college after HS, but oh well, not much I can do now but push through and know it will all be worth it some day.

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