Second-career? what was the first?

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Hi all -

Just wondering - if nursing is your second career, what was your first career? why did you leave it?

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Not sure if it would be a second career for me: I was a CNA for 4 years before earning my RN. My life long dream was to be an RN.

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Specializes in acute care.

obtained an electronics engineering degree 4 years ago...sent out countless versions of my resumes out, received 3 interviews in 4 years...realized that I wanted to start a family within the next three years.....decided that I can either continue working in customer service making no more than $13 at my prev. place of employment getting yelled at over broken eggs, late deliveries and rotten fruit, or obtain a degree in a field with countless opportunities

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Teacher/Literacy Coach/ESOL Instructor

Hi all -

Just wondering - if nursing is your second career, what was your first career? why did you leave it?

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I'm a NYS correctional officer with 24 years in. Due to retire next spring. Pre-reqs out of the way and accepted LPN this fall. 4.0 gpa this semester.Want to interact with people in a different way than I have for the last 23. Draw blood means hit somebody with a baton.haha. just kidding of course.

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I've been in the restaurant industry for 11 years. I consider it my first career. I've done everything you can think of in a restaurant from washing dishes to managing. Funny thing is I've washed a lot of dishes as a manager:uhoh3:. Right now I'm serving, and making pretty good money doing it. But something snapped inside me this past winter. I'm about to start a path to a completely different life. Cool thing is, I draw a lot of similarities between serving and nursing. 1) Both are service oriented. 2) Both allow travel. 3) Both will never leave you unemployed.;) I am quite aware that there are numerous differences between the professions, and those differences are really the reasons I am more excited than ever to become an RN.

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I was a teacher.

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me too. how was the transition for you?

i was a teacher.
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I draw a lot of similarities between serving and nursing.

Fair warning:

You might still feel like a waiter if you work Med\Surg. Patients who call you to the room for one thing will, no doubt, think of something else for you to bring as soon as you get back. It will feel like the water pitchers are never full. Instead of dessert, you will serve narcotics. You will meet an assortment of personalities. You cannot make the patients who cannot afford the bill wash dishes. And, unfortunately, the tips are always lousy!!!

I worked as a staffing coordinator and recruiter for a temporary staffing company prior to joining nursing.

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I went to college to be a Massage Therapist. I graduated this March. I was a CNA for 3 years before that, but wasn't quite sure if nursing was for me. (I wanted to be a pediatrician since I can remember, but I think all of the schooling scared me away :( ) I wanted to stay involved with the health care field, but realized that being a Massage Therapist wouldn't allow as many opportunities as I would have liked. So here I am now, continuing my nursing education. I start classes on June 5th, kind of scary!!

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I was a teacher.

Me too. How was the transition for you?

Well, I will be starting the nursing program in August, so I will let you know more once I have actually started. Right now, I am excited about the change and feel like I am definitely making the right decision. I stopped teaching right after I decided to go back to school for nursing. So far, I'm happy with my decision, and I don't miss teaching one bit. However, I know that the real stress won't begin until August. How was the transition for you?

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Where to start.... 4yrs in the Army durring D.S., Mechanic, machinist, welder, plant management for several steel fabrication factories, CNC programmer...dropped it all at the age of 34 and has gone CNA, LPN, now RN. I think I was looking for this all along.

Tom

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