Sherendyln

I've pretty much decided I want to be a nurse. It's going to be a very long, hard road. The first thing I'm going to do is get and AS degree in General Studies, and get in as many nursing pre-reqs as a I can. Then I'll apply to nursing programs. It's going to take me about 2 1/2 years to get that. But while earning this degree, I could also take phlebotomy classes at the same community college. A lot of the classes required for certification would be the same ones I have to take anyway, for the AS degree. Does this sound like a good idea? I could get some experience in healthcare. Have you noticed a need for these jobs? Thanks for reading.

I know other people can't make decisions for you, but I really need advice. I went to college in the 2007-2008 year. I did poorly, only earning 17 credits and half of them were D's. I did great in high school, and graduated with a 3.5 and scholarship to the school I failed in. Nursing was my passion for all those years. It's all I wanted to. But, a lot of stuff happened. My mother passed away when I was 12, which started my interest in nursing. I loved being at the hospital and seeing things get done, my family tried to protect me from what I found interesting. The summer before I started college, my father got diagnosed with lung cancer. It's part of the reason I did so poorly, I truly couldn't focus on school. That probably sounds like an excuse, but it wasn't. His condition literally took over my entire life, all my waking moments were devoted to him. I dropped out of school in the summer of '08, and he passed away this Janruary. So now, I am 20 years old and live alone. I have very little money, and will have to start working (living off his money thus far) to make it. I want to go back to college more than ever. But there's obviously some obstacles. If I choose nursing, it will take around 2-3 years before I can get accepted into my school's programs. I'll have to repeat what I failed and take more classes. Then *if* I get accepted, it will be 3 more years of school at least. But I'll have a high salary and plenty of job opportunities, I don't have to tell you guys. There is a respiratory therapy program at my school, it's an associate degree program but would take me about 3 years. That's so much better than 6+ it would take for nursing, since I need a career NOW. It sounds like such an interesting field. I'm sure I would love doing it. The pay is good, but I worry about the opporunties. Whether I'll be able to find a job, whether it would be limited, etc. What would you guys do in my situation? I know it's ultimately up to me. But I'm at a loss. If you read this, bless you!