Hi everyone. My name is Lindsay. I am 37 years old and I am married with 3 kids, boy/girl/boy ages 4, 10, 14.
3 years ago I decided I wanted to be a nurse. I began upgrading at my local college and took the required Math, Chemistry, English, Biology courses. It was a lot of work! Anyway, I got an offer a few months ago at a great college and am so excited! I accepted the offer and will be starting school in September.
The thing is, I wish I would have done this right out of high school while I was young. But back then, I wasn't serious about a career. I just wanted to get married and have kids. It wasn't until 3 years ago that I began desiring to go back to school and have my own career. It's just that I'm feeling kind of embarrassed to start at age 37...anyone else start nursing school in their 30's-40's? #justwondering
I think you need to look at how great it is to be going back to school at your age!
When I started community college, I was awed by the amount of older adults (in their late 30s- some older!) who were attending class with me. It wasn't nursing school, but still... I was so impressed, and it made me happy to see that people would further their education at any point in their life.
I've also read several nursing story books, and in many of the short stories, nurses talked about how they decided to go into nursing after raising children, or even later on in life. I don't think it's as uncommon as it seems, and judging by the other comments on your thread by users on AllNurses, that seems to be the case!
I just graduated in May with my ADN and am 42 yrs old. I sometimes wish I had gotten into this sooner but then if I did I wouldn't have my husband and kids since my life would have taken a different path. I appreciated school more as an older student and didn't screw around like I did in my 20's. A lot can be said for maturity and life experiences! Good luck!
I'm also 37! I have 2 kids (5 &6). I also felt old going back to school but after making friends and realizing I wasn't the "old one" I felt better about my decision to go back to school and pursue my dream.
I passed my NCLEX at age 40. I don't regret becoming a nurse later in life at all. In fact, I'm grateful I had another career first. I feel like I'm exactly where I need to be right now in life- and I wouldn't be in this place had I not had other life experiences first. It's all about perspective.
Congrats on getting into a school you like. There is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. Show the younger crowd how it's done.
I'll be 34 next month, about 1 month before I start my program. And if you need more, my mom graduated college at 60! We graduated the same day, from the same school! It's never too late!
Hi everyone. My name is Lindsay. I am 37 years old and I am married with 3 kids, boy/girl/boy ages 4, 10, 14.
3 years ago I decided I wanted to be a nurse. I began upgrading at my local college and took the required Math, Chemistry, English, Biology courses. It was a lot of work! Anyway, I got an offer a few months ago at a great college and am so excited! I accepted the offer and will be starting school in September.
The thing is, I wish I would have done this right out of high school while I was young. But back then, I wasn't serious about a career. I just wanted to get married and have kids. It wasn't until 3 years ago that I began desiring to go back to school and have my own career. It's just that I'm feeling kind of embarrassed to start at age 37...anyone else start nursing school in their 30's-40's? #justwondering
I think it is a great age to begin. I am 39 and just graduated ASN a few weeks ago! - Age is just a number =) Also, my husband is 45 and about to begin!!
Honey, you are embarking on one of the best careers out there. You'll never be out of a job and never be bored. The money is good and there are so many specialties to choose from. The opportunity to travel and a myriad of personalities to deal with. Congrats and enjoy!
Hi everyone. My name is Lindsay. I am 37 years old and I am married with 3 kids, boy/girl/boy ages 4, 10, 14.
3 years ago I decided I wanted to be a nurse. I began upgrading at my local college and took the required Math, Chemistry, English, Biology courses. It was a lot of work! Anyway, I got an offer a few months ago at a great college and am so excited! I accepted the offer and will be starting school in September.
The thing is, I wish I would have done this right out of high school while I was young. But back then, I wasn't serious about a career. I just wanted to get married and have kids. It wasn't until 3 years ago that I began desiring to go back to school and have my own career. It's just that I'm feeling kind of embarrassed to start at age 37...anyone else start nursing school in their 30's-40's? #justwondering
That's awesome that you're starting this September. I started when I was 37 or 38 and graduated a few years ago. It's been something like 6 years now since I was in your shoes. I've had a few different jobs along the way and I'd earned a Bachelors in my 20's.
It was very different for me when I returned back to school some 9-10 years ago to refresh my prerequisites vs when I'd graduated with my Bachelors some 20 years ago. My GPA after the Bachelors and going into nursing school was a 4.0 and I graduated with something over a 3.0 as I made a decision to not pursue a 4.0 during nursing school as it would burn me out with having to work full time and do school full time. Going back to school in your late 30's is completely doable and there were quite a few students older than myself. Good luck and have a great time in school!
JessieMari
19 Posts
I'm 33, will graduate at 34. You can do anything you set your mind to!