Second-career? what was the first?

[goldie66]

Hi all -

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

[SmilingBluEyes]

Active duty Air Force, supply and systems analyst. Left to raise my babies and go back to school (on my GI Bill).

[bill4745, RN]

First, an elctronics degree. Worked as a photographer for a year and then took a 1 year college photography program. Got a BA in psych, then went to nursing school. Worked for 10 years as an RN (ICU), quit and opened a nusiness, sold the business after 10 years, (3 years ago) now an ER nurse. This is it for as long as I am capable.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I was a factory worker at Procter & Gamble, producing Charmin tissue paper and Bounty paper towels during grueling 12 hour rotating shifts.

[I_am_Julia]

:balloons: :balloons: just saying hello to all the current and former teachers. :balloons: :balloons:

i'm a former teacher. i was almost finished with my masters degree in early childhood special education when i just decided teaching didn't interest me anymore. my real love was to be a nurse in a nicu. (my oldest son was in a nicu when he was first born). so, here i am. i start the local cc's rn program in the fall.

--marci

[happybunny1970]

Man, there's a lot of diversity here...

Let's see:

Burger King

Visual Merchandising

Cashier at a music store

Returned Check Clerk

Receptionist

Direct Mail Marketing Designer/Graphic Design

Mommy

Customer Service in a hospital Business Office (Oy, Vey! The angry calls!)

Unit Clerk when I started Nursing School at 30

EKG Tech when the Unit I was working on wouldn't work with my school schedule, even though they promised me when I took the job that they would (big surprise there, huh?)

RN

[Ms Kylee]

Journalist. Got fired by the hometown paper after 3 months because they didn't want to pay benefits (they are notorious for this). Bumped around doing a bazillion jobs that paid less money. Went back to school for medical transcription, which I loved. Got laid off when my company was bought out by another company. Customer service work, which sucked. After all of this, I finally decided that since I wanted to be a nurse since I was a kid, it was time to start down that path. Met with a crapload of resistance from my mother, who wanted me to do the BSN RN route since I only need the nursing core and the clinical time, but no university would work with my schedule. Got accepted at LPN school where I can go part time even though it takes 2 years. The hospital will pay for my RN after I graduate.

[Medic2RN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

I was a structural and aircraft rescue firefighter, licensed paramedic and police officer for 9 years before changing to nursing.

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

I was a surgical tech and prior to that, was in college studying for an English degree.Feel pretty good about my choice when I see old classmates of mine who graduated with BAs bagging groceries at the supermarket....

[Nur_1996]

I was a dental assistant first, then a unit secretary in a hospital before becoming a LPN.