Should I apply back to school? Nurses' thoughts?

[not sure 101]

I am a young person, and I live with my parents. It is so hard to get any kind of job, especially one thatpays a living wage. At this point in my life, I don't really knowanyone to get a job through, much less any kind of job that pays aliving wage.

I failed out of nursing school a fewyears ago, and ever since then I have been going to online college topursue a liberal arts bachelor's just to get a degree. However, I amalso thinking about applying back to nursing school. I have theliberal arts credits for classes such as anatomy, ethics, psychology,etc, that I can transfer in, though in the nursing schools that I athinking of applying to they only transfer in prerequisite liberalarts classes that a person has taken within the past 5 years. It'sgetting to a point where there are some classes that I have takenthat won't be able to get transferred in, starting in 2017 or 2018. So, now I am feeling pressured as to whether or not I should apply,right now. I guess that to get my money's worth I probably should. Also, it probably wouldn't hurt to apply,and attend nursing school,anyway.

However, there is something in me thatis very anxious and unsure about this. I ask myself with some doubt,Are you ready to do this work? Are you ready to cram all of thisnursing info into your head?” Also, I really have no clue as towhether or not my family is going to pay for my nursing school, thistime. They are paying for my online college, but I don't know somuch about what they would do if I applied back nursing school. Idon't want to apply to nursing school, and then have them say Screwyou, we're not paying for it, go take out loans!” I really, reallydo not want to start taking out student loans, and I think that thatwhether or not I would be able to pay them off is a huge gamble.(When I tell people that, they say Yeah, right, not with nursing!Nurses make a lot of money!” However, I do see people online, andhear people in real life, talking about not being able to find stablejobs, not being able to find work for long stretches of time andhaving very splotchy work experience due to unscrupulous employershiring and firing and bsing applicants. )If I reapplied back to theplace that I failed out of, and then decided not to go because ofstudent loans, then I might not be able to go back there afterapplying and leaving twice.

I'm afraid of taking out student loanson something that I'm not particularly completely passionate about tothe bone (ie nursing—though I still like nursing). I'm afraid thatI might need to take out loans someday for something else, like someother course of study that I want to do more, or for some sort ofmedical issue, and that for some reason I may not be able to take outthat money due to not being able to pay student loans for nursingschool.

How do I feel about nursing? It'sdefinitely not my dream job or my dream industry. I have other goalsin mind of what I really want to do, and I always thought of nursingas financial stepping stone to finance what I really want to pursuein my life or just a backup plan. I have never really had any money,and I grew up being bored, having empty pockets an being stuck in arut. I have always thought of going into it just to have acredential under my belt that I can take anywhere with me. Nursingdoesn't restrict you to being in only a few cities or only types ofplaces. I have always dreamed of going to other places around theworld, temporarily, just to experience that while being independentand dignified. I also went into nursing for the promises of respectand having a decent salary. Even thought it isn't my dream job,there are many aspects about it that I really liked when I went tonursing school. I loved to see and interact with all of thedifferent kinds of people who were patients. It really fine tunesyou, socially, and it really makes you think about the value of life. That's what I loved about it. I also liked the idea of how I waslearning about useful health knowledge that I could apply to myeveryday life.

I am feeling a lot of anxiety,now, but maybe I shouldn't be. Maybe I should go. Maybe I'm justanxious about it now, but if I actually get accepted back intonursing school and go there, maybe I'll be so happy and confidentwhen I get there and see that it's not so bad. That's actually whathappened to me once when I was in nursing school. There was avacation, and then the day that classes began I felt so anxious andhad a pit in my stomach and didn't want to go back, for whateverreason. However, when walked into class and sat down, I felt better,and it was actually a good day, and I felt happy and dignified andinterested.

Its coming to a point where I don'tknow what resources I will have around me, because my family may havea lot less in the future, and I may have less resources available tome.

I don't know what I would do with theliberal arts bachelors.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

It is entirely possible that having failed out of a nursing program in the past, you will not be able to find a program that will accept you.

Before investing any time & energy into pursuing a nursing degree, ask around at local schools to see if they would be willing to accept someone with a previous failure.