Please Help, Fear Eating Me Alive

Scrubmouse RN · Sep 21, 2008

hello everyone. i am so glad i found this place. i am miserable and lost because i don't know what my next step should be. here is a little something about me. i'm 22 years old and will be graduating in december with a bachelors in ethnic studies. when i initially entered university, i entered as a biology major. since i loved biology, i figured why not become a doctor. my whole family was on it and so was i. i know deep down i wanted to help people, but didn't know exactly how. so i just went with it. well, all i can say is i become so miserable and depressed, i contemplated quitting school. i was already depressed about my weight issues that it controlled me in every way. that added to my loneliness that i didn't have any motivation for school. i failed at least once in all my science classes. i studied right before a test and even when i studied, i just didn't get it. i hated it so much that at the end of my second year i switched to ethnic studies. i figured i can raise my gpa and hopefully end up going to a masters program in something. all i knew was i wanted out.
being an ethnic studies major became my salvation. one, i found a side of myself that i didn't know existed. i became so much aware and realized i was really good in writing and analyzing. i realized that i was very emotional and a person that is extremely curious. i wanted to know, know, know. that is know about what it is to be human, why we are the way we are and etc... more like anthropology stuff. i enjoyed it alot.
so here i am today, lost as to what to do. i started thinking about careers in humanities like masters in anthropology but deep down i always feel empty because i won't be helping people the way i want to. i can't see myself working 9-5 on a computer researching something. i want to be able to affect someone. my friend suggested nursing but i'm so afraid because of what i went through two years ago as a bio major. i am so afraid... i want to know from those of you that went through it. how was it? can someone that loves and gets the anthropology, history and philosophy survive as a nurse and in nursing school? is psyc nursing more for me? is it for me at all????????? please, please, when i say i'm lost, i am lost. i can't sleep at night it bothers me . any thoughts will help a lot. thanks
sorry for the long post

i was one of the lost ones too, so i can empathize with you. i have a bs in biology from a large university. i graduated in 2003 and am just now realizing what i want to do when "i grow up." there are lots of things you can do to help people. an example is social work or counseling. nursing is definitely a caring person's field but can be quite challenging. the pre-reqs are heavy in science and the nursing classes themselves can be quite difficult. but..there are many people on this board who will tell you that they too had problems with grades, family situations, etc and persevered. if nursing is something you really really want to do, i say go for it! i would, however, do some true soul searching first before you go head first into any field. good luck and may you presevere! :)

pagandeva2000, LPN · Sep 21, 2008

Have you considered career counseling?

mizfradd, CNA · Sep 21, 2008

Career counseling and an aptitude test at your college could perhaps open your eyes to a career path you haven't even imagined.

With your interest in anthropology, caring personality, analyzation skills and your curious nature...have you ever thought of going into forensic anthropology or radiological anthropology?

Talk things over with your counselor at your college and I wish you all the best!

Alex_RN2b09 · Sep 21, 2008

I also recommend a Career Counseling session. I took a personality test during mine, which they cross matched with common career choices for persons of my personality type. I believe the first was Social Work, the second I can't remember and the third was Nursing. It helped introduce me to new ideas that I hadn't even thought of before. I hope things work out well for you, good luck!

Violetucf · Sep 21, 2008

Hello. I can completely sympathize with you. I went through the same thing you did in the beginning of my college career. I entered college as a premed/biology student and was immediately overwhelemed with the science classes. I've always loved science and had always excelled in it, so I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong. I ended up failing a few of my major science classes and my GPA went into the gutter. It was very depressing and I was disappointed with myself. I also had a lot of other personal issues going on at the same time, which didn't help my stress with school. I decided to change directions and thought about several different career paths. I've know forever that I wanted to help people in a direct way, so I thought of things along the lines of sociologist, psychologist, and teacher. While working in the hospital during school, it never really occured to me that I could have a career in nursing, even though I worked with them all the time. Till one day, I saw nurses respond to a code blue on the floor one day, and I was just awe struck. Then I realized that nursing could really be an option for me. So I did a lot of research, and started on my way to nursing school. And I don't regret it at all, I love my job. Nursing really has endless avenues and I think it is the most slept on careers. Becoming a nurse is by no means an easy feat. There's still lots of science, but if you have an interest for science, it's doable. Looking back now, I had zero study skills coming into school and I really just lacked real direction. Do lots of research and find out what it is that you really like and what your good at. If you think you might like nursing, get an entry level job in a hospital. See if you like the atmosphere. And its all about having confidence, find something you like and stick with it and tell yourself you're going to make it no matter what. Hope that helps and good luck.