Lou R.

Thanks so much for the replies everyone! Hopefully this will all work out for me. I guess step 1 is to now find a school that will accept me and give me financial aid. :)

Thanks very much Joy! I appreciate the response and will look into the schools you mentioned.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the responses. Good to know my greying hair shouldn't be a factor... :) I think the job thing is still going to be my biggest fear. Without the funding, I'm hardly going to be able to attend a school with a high enough prestige level to get by with the training alone. And without knowing anyone else in the field, networking is going to be a problem. I don't care much about the salary, but I really don't want to end up jobless after the training... Of course, if I can't get FA, it all becomes moot anyway. I'd gladly take a scholarship or signing bonus, but doubt I'd be offered one without any existing background. I could deal with the contract knowing I would be getting experience and can move on later. Works2xs - I can pretty well guarantee you I won't be looking back on my old career with fond memories. :) IT is just not where I want to be anymore. It got more depressing every year. lpnadmin - Any reason you went the LPN route instead of RN? lizz - Are you in a big city (like LA)? I'm hoping the bigger cities will give me better options. Houston is the largest city in Texas, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Right now I'm in Denver (moving in a month or so). Big for Colorado, but small in comparison to other major cities - and it's the job listings here which all seem to want experience. BTW, how can I get a hospital job without at least becoming a nursing student first? Thanks again!

Hi everyone, I'm a 37 year old male who will be moving to Houston within a few months and would like to begin nursing training (towards becoming an RN) once there. Unfortunately, I've never been there before and don't really know where to begin. And more unfortunately, I will be limited in funding to whatever financial aid I can get. This will be a second career for me. I already have a BS in Mechanical Engineering (3.68 GPA) from 1992 and over 10 years in the IT field. Can anyone offer some suggestions as to where I can look? I'd like to start contacting schools before I get there. I'm also concerned about whether or not I'll be able to find a job as a new grad. Any thoughts on this as well? Is it possible to find a related job while taking classes? And are there many male nursing students and nurses in Texas? Thanks very much! - Lou

Hi everyone, I'm a 37 year old male about to relocate to Houston (probably by September) and I'm considering nursing as a second career. My background is a BS in Mechanical Engineering (3.68 GPA) and just over 10 years in the Information Technology field (customer support mostly). Naturally I'm nervous about doing this and have questions. I'm also worried that nursing schools may say just about anything to get me to enroll (since that's money for them), so I'm hoping for some realistic responses here. :) Please note that I am only just beginning my research, so I apologize in advance for any ignorant questions. 1. Is it going to be a problem for me being 37 (not to mention male...)? I know the saying goes it's never to late to do anything, but what's the reality of the situation in this field? 2. What's the best route to go? Should I start as a LPN or as a RN? I'm going to be limited in funding to whatever financial aid I can get, so I'm assuming that will limit my options. 3. What are the real world prospects for a job as a new nursing graduate? I know there's supposed to be a shortage - but when I looked in the papers and online, most seemed to require some specialty (ER, ICU, etc.) and everything required at least 1 year of experience. This is probably my biggest concern. 4. How do you relocate as a RN if each state has its own licensing? Can you get licensed in another state before moving there? Thanks very much! - Lou