JimboWalls

Thank you for all of the advice thus far! You have all been extremely helpful. Even the one who linked me to a video of nurses doing the Harlem Shake. I needed a laugh. Thank you for that. Please keep the advice coming! I would like to hear from as many of you as possible. Now for some replies: I have a BA, so I don't have much past experience with math and sciences (other than in high school, where I was a 3.9 GPA student). In college I got a B- in Calc I, a C- in Chemistry, and a D+ in Intro Psych. I graduated college as a 3.0 GPA student. So as you can see, I did terrible in the 3 math/science classes I was in. However, at this point I was going for engineering because I didn't know what else to do (it's the family job). I ended up switching to a film degree. Because I wasn't looking forward to a career in engineering, I didn't put much effort into my studies and I believe that's why I did bad in those classes. However, if I find a career I would actually like, I am sure I could keep my eye on the prize and put the proper work and effort into achieving that goal. But when there's a lack of motivation, there's a lack of studying, and I believe that's what happened there. Regarding your other comment, I am not worried about receiving acknowledgement for my work. I've worked retail for five years if that tells you anything. Personal satisfaction is all I need. I really don't know much about IT, to be honest. I have taken plenty of career tests. I am an INFJ. "The INFJ is a special individual who needs more out of a career than a job. They need to feel as if everything they do in their lives is in sync with their strong value systems - with what they believe to be right. Accordingly, the INFJ should choose a career in which they're able to live their daily lives in accordance with their deeply-held principles, and which supports them in their life quest to be doing something meaningful. Since INFJs have such strong value systems, and persistent intuitive visions which lend them a sense of "knowing", they do best in positions in which they are leaders, rather than followers. Although they can happily follow individuals who are leading in a direction which the INFJ fully supports, they will very unhappy following in any other situation." Possible Careers: Clergy / Religious Work Teachers Medical Doctors / Dentists Alternative Health Care Practitioners, i.e. Chiropractor, Reflexologist Psychologists Psychiatrists Counselors and Social Workers Musicians and Artists Photographers Child Care / Early Childhood Development

I can assure you I would not be doing it for the money. I would mainly be doing it for the 4 days off a week, and also because I am the kind of person who needs to have a job I can be proud of. Even though I didn't grow up with a passion for nursing, knowing that I am helping others would help me to sleep well at night (or day, since this is nursing we're talking about).

I am not doing it for the job security. Income is definitely a factor though. But honestly, I would be comfortable on less than the average salary. $45K is probably all I really need. And when I look at jobs with that salary or higher, the one that most attracts me is nursing.

If I were to list pros and cons for any job, I am positive there would always be more cons. Even with acting. But since not working isn't an option, I need to pick something. I am having an extremely hard time doing so. I am not exaggerating when I say that I spent the past 5 months of my free time trying to figure out what career is right for me. I literally have just sat in front of the computer doing research and have had no luck thus far. Nursing has come closest. Really, I don't know where to go from here if not nursing. I research other careers and just get frustrated, because I have no interest in them and can't see myself doing those jobs all my life. Nursing on the other hand, doesn't feel that way. That's because I would love to help others for a living. I feel like I could fight through all the stress of each if I just remind myself when I get home that I am doing a good thing. The option for 3 day work weeks is also a huge attraction for me. The idea of spending the majority of my years at work sickens me. As a nurse, I would be able to spend the majority of my days outside of work. But you make it sound like those days are essentially just recuperation days, so that's something I will have to think about.

Hello! First post here. I'm going to be giving you all a lot of information here. I have read tons of threads on this board to help me make a decision, but I figured I would try and get some advice tailored towards my individual situation. I'm a 26 year old male who is considering nursing as a career. As of right now I work at a local department store in Illinois. I know I don't want to work retail my whole life, but I have never really known what exactly I want to do with my life. Well, that's not actually true. I'm an actor and that is probably my one and only "passion", but I know I will make a poor living pursuing that as a full-time career. I want to find a career where I can make a comfortable living. I've considered nursing because of the following: 1. I like helping others. 2. At the end of each day, I could go home knowing I made a difference in peoples' lives. 3. I could work 3 12-hour shifts a week, giving me 4 days a week to enjoy acting as a hobby. Here are a few things that have been holding me back: 1. Worried about catching diseases. I must admit, the horror stories I have gathered from these forums, as rare as they may be, tend to freak me out a bit. 2. I am an introvert. I am not very talkative. I pretty much only say something when I have something important to say. I'm not much for small talk. With retail I am very kind and friendly with guests. I help them find what they need and go all out to make sure they leave satisfied, but I can't really keep a conversation going with fellow employees or anything like that. I'm worried this will affect my performance as a nurse. 3. I'm not really passionate for nursing itself. Just helping others. I see many of you say that you have wanted to be a nurse for as long as you can remember. That is not the case with me. I only want to be a nurse because of the 3 reasons I listed above. 4. Getting sued. I'm not sure how often it happens, but that's always something to worry about. For the past 5 months or so, I've been spending almost all of my free time trying to figure out what career would be best for me. So far, nursing seems to be the best match. Although, as you can see, I still have doubts. Any and all advice is appreciated. Thank you gals and guys! - Jim