JM229

Hi LooLoo, I got my letter and am in too! Are you doing day or evening? I am doing evening!

I am hoping for some insight and figured that there is no better place to look for it than from a group of nurses! I am 35 years old and am considering doing a career change to become a nurse. Medicine/science/biology has always been a passion of mine. When I went to college, I started as a pre-med student and then for various reasons (including financially) I changed colleges and ended up changing majors to Psychology. I ended up graduating with my Bachelors in Psychology and then ended up working in Human Resources where I have been for the past 14 years. So, for the past 14 years I have been unhappy and have be "researching" nursing schools (yes, I have been looking into nursing schools for 14 years). But because I had a great job and was making good money, I never just went for it. On top of it, I got very sick in the meantime and ended up in and out of the hospital many times which only encouraged my desire to be a nurse even more. I have finally decided that it was time to do it if I ever was. The only thing is that I can only do an Associates degree because I still need to work full time. From the research I have been doing and reading on here, it appears that if I go to school for my Associates and graduate with no experience, it is VERY unlikely that I will be able to get a job. I wouldn't mind doing anything that I needed to do to get experience (ie. working as a CNA) however because I have a mortgage and expenses based on my income level now, I can't take such a cut in pay to do that. I have 2 young children and would be sacrificing a lot to go back to school for nursing but I am willing to make the sacrifices to do something that I am passionate about however, I am concerned that after all my sacrifices I won't be able to even get a job at the end. Sorry for the long ramble, but does anybody have any suggestions for me as to what I should be thinking of/about or considering as I make my decision?