Scared to death..but giving this a shot.

[Kimchula]

I got laid off a month ago from my job in the real estate field, no I wasn't a realtor but a loley hard working in the backgroud, reading contracts, fixing crappy titles, ect. I was dedicated to that company for nearly 7 years and in this line of business for 10 and I made 40k+ a year. I'm 28...just got engaged a year ago, planning a wedding for next summer and BAMB!! hit with a layoff. =( I almost died I was so upset. My field is no longer a stable or in demand one...and it could be years before I could ever get back into it. It's all I knew how to do.

I always liked the idea of being a nurse, having a skill like that for life...being able to help someone, comfort them has always been a calling of mine even if it's just emotional support, as much as I've had to deal with crappy sales and refinances and cranky people in misery...I relish the moments when I'm truly touched by someone's situation wether it be a happy or sad one. Still, I never thought seriously about nursing until now. I've registered for prereques today, for spring quarter and it's estimated I will have them done by winter quarter, just in time to apply for the nursing program by January...but the 1 year nursing program wont' start until the following fall quarter which means I won't be done with the actual program until August 2014 ...and found myself in tears on the way home thinking about that date. Thinking about how much I miss being able to get up to and go to work and feel stable and like nothing can stop me. Now I just feel like a big fat loser with a dream that she's not even sure is realistic.

U may be wondering what I will do in the meantime while I wait for the program to start in Fall 2012...well, they said I can start taking prereques for RN instead of cooling my heals. I think that's a good idea. Then the plan is for me to work as an LPN, and then school for about 1 more year to get the RN. that's a grand total of a zillion years it seems like. Of course I want the rewarding career and the satisfaction of actually obtaining a degree one day would do wonders for my self esteem. (I'm a HS dropout, with a GED and about 10 college credits, I didn't get a shred of ambition until I was about 21)

I'm scared that I wont' be able to hack it, that my fiance' and parents will suffer trying to support me while I'm in school, even though they are all on board right now. Scared that starting a marriage with no stable job is a mistake...I'm just friggen scared to death. I think I need some comforting.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Wow - looks like you're in the midst of a multi-crisis situation. I wish we all had more control... just one crisis at a time would be nice wouldn't it?

I am concerned that you may be taking on too much at once. It would seem that your primary concern should be your relationship with your fiancee and pending marriage. There's no time limit on becoming a nurse. You can tell by reading posts on AN that mature students do very well - they have better coping skills and personal situations are usually more stable. If finances are making your life miserable, I would advise you to work (with your fiancee) on this area first. Maybe you can scale back wedding plans/expenditures? Then find a "for now" job to produce some income.... not your dream job, but that can come later.

Go ahead and start plowing through your pre-requisite courses at a community college but don't try to take too many at once - this will only pump up your stress levels again. Please don't worry about your past academic record. I know two RN PhDs who began with GEDs - one had actually dropped out of HS and did not get his GED until he was 20.

Please take care of yourself first. Maintain awareness of your own stress levels & don't try to make too many burdens at once.

[editor2rn]

I switched careers, too, and it was scary going back. But it will all work out. Just one day at a time. I would advise you to skip the LPN and go to the RN. Many hospitals aren't hiring LPNs any longer, and the people I know who got an LPN first said they felt like they'd wasted time.

Getting an RN is a long haul. But you'll get through it and look back and feel very good about having done so.

Good luck!

[Biffbradford]

Put your applications in, get the ball rolling, and take it step by step. Don't dig yourself into a financial hole along the way and you'll make it just fine. You'll probably have some hurdles to jump along the way, but just stay focused on your goal and you'll get there eventually. Just be stubborn and stick with it!

[R*Star*RN, BSN, RN]

There are many nurses entering the field as a second career, many in their 40's and 50's.

Apply for school, start your pre-reqs. Don't try to rush through things, because you will only get frustrated. 2014 is only 3 years away -- what's 3 years in the span of a lifetime?

If you can get away with it, don't work during nursing school. If you HAVE to work, my suggestion would be to become a nursing assistant. Most nursing schools have you do this as part of the pre-reqs. Depending on where you live, a nursing assistant will not make the income that you are used to but it will definitely help you when it comes to your nursing skills. One of the things that nursing students have difficulty with is being comfortable in the patient's space, touching their body, helping them with the bathroom, and so on.

There is nothing wrong with becoming and LPN and then continuing on for your RN. It's what I did and I feel that I learned a lot by working on various rungs of the ladder prior to becoming an RN. And if you're working as an LPN during your RN program you can ask the RNs you work with a lot of questions and observe the nursing process at an RN level. Most nurses will be really happy to answer any questions you might have!

Deep breath, you are still a rock. You can do anything you put your mind to :)