Nursing answer to my struggles?

Hmm, wanting to work higher paying jobs isn't really a good reason for picking nursing. You will be dissatisfied if pay is all you're going after. Don't pick nursing because it seems like there are no other options. Pick it because you have a desire to work with patients, because you have an interest in healthcare, because you think you would enjoy the responsibility of saving, preserving or comforting lives. $38k is a lot of money for a profession if you're not really sure it's what you want.

How long ago did you graduate? You kind of have to pay your dues so to speak in any profession and get crappy pay for a few years. When I first started in the working world, I had a crap apt, an old car, furniture my friends gave me, lawn chairs for dining room chairs, no cable, and legit ate ramen noodles for almost a year. With cheap spaghetti sauce. Eventually, I worked my way up in that field and after a few years, made enough money where I could afford cable, and some groceries. That was it until I got married and we combined incomes.

When I started as a new grad nurse, I again made crap money. More than I did as an 18 year old, but still not a lot nonetheless. I made more in my previous careers than I did as a nurse. Now, that I have a few years experience, I'm able to negotiate my wages better. But that's again my experience.

If you are freshly graduated in the past couple of years, expect crap pay in any field. Be patient.

Don't go into nursing for the money, we promise you our pay isn't high enough for what we do.

One of the first things I did was read some books about the first year as a nurse and surviving nursing school. That gave me a really good idea of what I was getting into. (Amazon search "First year of nursing" for a list of books). Talk to a nurse about their job, I'm sure someone on your facebook friends list is a nurse.

Ask yourself these questions:

Can you handle urine, feces, vomit, fecal infused vomit, blood, and phlegm?

How good are you under intense stress? As in someone's life depends on it.

Are you a critical thinker? Do you think of the causes and effects?

How are you when you don't get your way? IE: You know the patient needs a med but the doctor refuses to order it. You okay with that?

How do you feel about working weekends, holidays, and how do you feel about driving when others normally wouldn't?

Finally, what kind of paycheck are you seeking? 26-30 an hour sounds great, but it is hard earned.

Do some basic research before you just jump in. You might make a great nurse, but I want you to have a good idea of what nursing is before that first tuition payment is due.

best of luck.

Can you tolerate handling all sorts of secretions, change diapers, speak up when needed, and face difficult patients and families? If you have worked in customer service you can probably deal with the latter.

I went into nursing with a biology degree. I went the ADN route though. Much cheaper. Then, after I worked a year, went back and did my RN-BSN at a state college that cost very little.

The bio classes cover a lot of your pre-reqs. You can go into nursing without going into that much debt.

I first had a job as a teacher after my bio degree (taught math and science). After getting my ADN, I was making almost twice the money with a 2 year degree as I was with a masters degree

Here is CharleeFoxtrot's standard speech about higher education and debt. This is the talk I give my MA's when they say they can't afford to go to school.

I'll assume nursing is a good fit for the OP. Take your current wage and compare it will the higher wage you would make if you obtained the degree. Say it's 40K a year difference (not out of line really). Take that 40K a year and multiply it by the number of years you have left before retirement. That's how higher education pays off.

Have you really been accepted to nursing school? Is it accredited?

One out of ten applicants get accepted to the core program.

You don't sound very enthusiastic about nursing as a career. If you liked your science classes and are interested in working in a lab environment have you considered becoming a Clinical Laboratory Scientist instead? There are graduate certificates/2nd degrees for people with bachelor's degrees in Biology or Chemistry. North Dakota University offers one that lasts 18 months with one semester in ND and the clinical placements across the USA. There are lots of other grad courses available if you like the idea, it's a steady job too with a decent wage. Just a thought.

Continue with your Master's in Bio if you are going to spend money on more education?