Starting Over at 25

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Hi Everyone,

I graduated college last year with a degree in Sociology (took me a little extra time) and now I'm planning on returning to school to become a Certified Nurse Midwife.

My plan is that I'll take 2 years to complete prerequisites and take the GRE at least twice while also working to save money.

Is anyone else starting over? I feel like I'm doing all of this so late because I'm thinking about how long this process will take and then when to have a family, etc. I'll be in my early 30s when I'm done with everything.

Also, the schools I'm looking at for my MSN are all very expensive and I'm wondering how anyone affords it?

I'm glad I got my Sociology degree, I feel like that's what spurned my interest in helping people and becoming a nurse, but I'm pretty nervous about how it's all going to work out.

Basically, I'd like to hear from other people who are going back to nursing school after getting a different degree/later in life. I'd like to hear how it worked out for you.

Thanks!

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Specializes in NICU.
Is anyone else starting over? I feel like I'm doing all of this so late because I'm thinking about how long this process will take and then when to have a family, etc. I'll be in my early 30s when I'm done with everything.

Yes, you are sooo late to the game. You will only have 30-40 yrs to work in nursing.

Also, the schools I'm looking at for my MSN are all very expensive and I'm wondering how anyone affords it?!

They get their BSN and work as being a nurse for several years to get experience before going onto their MSN.

Are you going for an Entry level MSN?

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I decided to "start over" at 25 as well. I have done wedding and event planning for over a decade now and decided to pursue higher education after I had someone die in my arms. For someone who prides herself in being able to find a solution for practically anything, this was an experience that left me feeling utterly helpless. I was torn between pre-med and pre-nursing. Though I excelled as a pre-med student, I decided last December that going the nursing route would be a better option for me in regards to costs and the amount of schooling needed. Whether I become a doctor or a nurse, having the right training to help someone in need is what I desire the most.

I am currently finishing up my last two prerequisites and will be applying for my program in the spring. I have been able to continue working throughout school (wee bit of a workaholic) and have maintained a 4.0 GPA. If this is what you're passionate about then go for it. I have met nursing students and medical students in their thirties, fourties, and fifties who have spouses and children. Their life experiences set them apart from the younger crowd.

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Specializes in mental health / psychiatic nursing.

I started over at 25 as well with the goal of going for PMHNP eventually. I realize I won't achieve that goal until my mid-30s at earliest. However, that is still many years to work and have a career. Figuring out when I'm going to have kids is stressful, but it would be stressful no matter what field I was in or educational path I take because I know I want to have a career and that career + kids requires juggling no matter what. There will never be a great time to have both, so it's up to me to make the best of my own life and figure out what works for me and my family when I get there.

Nor is 25 "late" the average age in my ABSN program is 28, the average age of student in the traditional BSN program at my school is 32. Nursing seems to attract a very high number of career change students with a variety of life experience and age ranges.

I am paying for a ABSN with a combination of savings, an institutional scholarship, and loans. It isn't cheap, but based on RN salaries in my area I should be able to pay my loans off within 1-2 years of graduation.

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I'm 26 and will be starting pre reqs hopefully in the Spring. I don't have a degree just college credit and my GPA is low, but I'm not going to give up on my dream, and you shouldn't either.

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I'll graduate when I'm 40. So.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Trauma.

I'm 25 right now and have just completed my prerequisites after going to school part time for three years. Since you just graduated with your sociology degree, perhaps some of those credits can count towards your nursing prerequisites? Check in with the school you're planning on doing your prereqs at. Not to nag at younger students (because not every younger student is like this), but I feel like because we are "older" than many traditional college students that it shows how motivated we are towards pursuing our goals. We've had time to mature and grow out of that "party" phase. My favorite group partners were always students my age or older, because I knew we would actually collectively finish the assignment as a group. My worst group experience was in biology when I was grouped together with three running start program students. All three of them were 17 and nobody contributed to our projects until the last possible moment.

It's never too late to go back to school. Whether it's to get your first degree or a career change.

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I just wish I was 25 again.

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Specializes in Mental Health.

You are 25... you are like 7 years behind even the youngest of students. lol How young you plan on checking out of this world? :p

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I would suggest throwing any thought of your age to the wind. Many people enter nursing at an older age. I'm mid-40 and just applied to nursing school, so I'll be closing in on 50 by the time I graduate. Couldn't care less!

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Honestly, age is just a number. I'll admit that at 27 I sometimes I feel "behind" because I'm not using my initial degree and going back for a second. Seeing all of my friends getting married, having children, working in their desired fields for a few years now, and either enrolled in or already having graduated from graduate school/PhD programs, I feel like I should have my life more together than I do. I wish that I had sought a biomedical sciences degree and gone to med school, tbh. But alas, that's not the case. And if I'm being honest, I'm in a MUCH better state to be seeking this career now than I was at 21/22.

We all have our own paths and I think the most important thing to remember is that there is no one way to do life, even though society likes to tell us otherwise. Goals, dreams, and aspirations are still achievable, no matter what your age. It'll go by faster than you think, I promise! It feels like I just started my prereqs and I'm just about done and getting ready to take my TEAS and apply to accelerated BSN programs. What I'm REALLY excited for, though, is the day I can start applying to ACPNP programs. haha But one step at a time.

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Well I'm 27 and just now becoming a CNA. I never wanted to enter the medical field on any level. I definitely never wanted to pursue nursing, as I didn't want lives to depend on my performance at work. But after a few many "jobs" and some other unsuccessful pursuits I have decided that a career in the medical field would be a solid route to take. I have not started any classes toward nursing just yet because of life circumstances, but I do plan on getting a CNA2 and MedAide for the time being. I'm just taking things one step at a time.

I also agree with crossfitandnursing that I feel more mature and ready to take on the responsibilities that nursing, or any other healthcare job. might require. Also, as mentioned by several others, people enter this career field as late as aged 50, so you and I are not late to anything. The amount of time we have left to work before retirement surpasses the amount of time we've been alive and then some. So, no, you're not starting over at too late an age.

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