Taking the next step in beginning my nursing career!

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This has been years in the making, and now it's time to put my foot forward. I'm looking into CCAC's Allegheny Campus for evening and Saturday classes for possibly fall 2014. It looks like all I need to do is take a college Bio class and I can apply for the program (of course, I need to order my high school and college transcripts).

Long story short, I went to school at age 18 for the wrong thing (marketing), jumped ship from that field in 2010 after shortly graduating The Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 2009, and from there I jumped from the property management field, paralegal field, the HR field and now I'm stuck in the god awful messy mortgage industry. Why did I jump around so much, you may ask? Well, the answer is easy - because I'm not doing what I want to do, which is nursing. I've wanted to do nursing for many years now, and just never gave myself a chance to jump in.

Now it's time! I've been reading stories on here and reading up about the profession. I plan on taking the college Bio class at CCAC's Allegheny Campus next summer then enrolling into their nursing program. By then I'll have some more money saved up because I have MAD student loans from the expensive school I went to. My current employer offers tuition assistance, but if it's not bank-related, I doubt they'd pitch in, although I'm not 100% sure. If need be, I plan on taking a private loan since I'm maxed out for Federal. At age 18, you don't make the best choices, and I made the wrong one by going to a private school and making my major Advertising. At the mature age of 26 (more mature than some, haha), I'm ready to fix my life and go to school for what I should have gone for in the first place.

Currently I work for a large bank in their mortgage department as a loan processor and I'm ready to bash my head in on daily basis because I hate it there so much. The only light that shines down on me is the fact that I get to help people (not in the way I want to, but it's still helping them save money on a mortgage or buying a new home). I want to get my butt into the medical field but without any training, it's hard. I've applied to be a CNA at a local hospital and senior care center over the weekend (both places offer on the job training to become CNA Certified), along with some administrative jobs at local hospitals as well, so we'll see if anyone gets back to me.

Sorry for the long post, but I'm here to get any kind of support I can and make some nursing friends! :)

-Emily in the Pittsburgh area

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Specializes in Hospice.

26 isn't so old. Try being the oldest in your nursing class at 50. Now that's old! Good luck, just go for it. Be ready to sign your life away though. Hardest thing I've ever done, and I'm only going into my fourth week.

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Specializes in ICU.

I'm 37 and doing my prereqs now. I will be 38 when I start nursing school. I started my prereqs back in 99 before I got married. I am now getting a divorce and going to pursue my dream. So 26 is not really so old.

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hi emily!

your story sounds a lot like mine. i am also 26. i have an associates and bachelors in accounting from ccbc and rmu. i was going to go to school for nursing but i took a recordkeeping class in high school and knew i liked that so i went down that career path. it is shaping up to be a dead end since i didn't want to go the public accounting route and still don't.

for CCAC the only class i needed for my prereqs was also bio! i took bio110 at boyce this summer in a 6 week class my prof was AMAZING i got almost an A+ in the class. i applied for spring 2014 evenings & weekends at allegheny. i am currently taking A&P and Micro at Allegheny. i am still waiting to find out if i got in or not. i heard that they don't accept anyone that doesn't have A&P 1&2 and Micro due to the bonus points but since they changed the system i might have a shot. if i don't get in for spring i will apply for fall 2014

i work in lease administration and also want to bash my head in on a daily basis lol:banghead:. i wanted to get into the medical field as a CNA too but i would be taking a major pay cut like half of my pay and i just can't afford it. i'm hoping to find another job where i make the same amount but the work is less stressful and i can leave the work at work and not have to take stuff home in addition to homework.

i was hesitant to go down this route. a couple of girls i went to hs with are nurses and their lives are fabulous. i was nervous that i was going to be too old but there are people of all ages in my classes so i think we will be ok! we can do this!

so there you have it! another 26 year old, career-changing, pre-nursing pittsburgher :). feel free to im me!

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@steelersgirl86 I'd love to chat! I see that you work as a Leasing Admin. Any chance you work for Jones Lang LaSalle? I used to work there. I couldn't figure out how to IM you. Feel free to shoot me a message as well!

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Well how about I can't respond to you because I need 15 posts on this site before I send any private messages. But that's really cool that you work there, I worked there from September 2010 - September 2011 in the call center. After a year I couldn't take it anymore but I kinda wish I would have toughed it out because I could have been a Lease Admin now.

So you go to CCAC Allegheny? I still haven't applied to anything yet. It's so much I'm not sure where to start! I want to talk to an advisor and I did email one a few weeks ago but I lost her email and I think she replied but it went to my Spam and I ended up deleting it on accident. I guess I just need advice on where to start with the whole process.

Currently I work for PNC Mortgage and it's awful! They laid a bunch of people off a couple weeks ago and now I'm doing something I didn't even apply to do - basically they had to move a bunch of people around due to the lay off. I'm doing something that requires a GED and takes no brain power whatsoever. They kept all of us new people though. I'm just trying to begin the career that I should have began years ago!

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You're not alone. I decided to go for nursing 2 years ago. Finally finished all my pre-reqs and have all the other stuff done other than the actual nursing classes. I'm 33 and will be applying for the fall 2014 hopefully south campus nights and weekends since I work as well. Where there's a will there's a way. Good luck!

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I was in my 40s when I started taking nursing pre-requisites. When I first started the RN nursing pre-requisites, I was getting D’s on each Anatomy exam. I found it overwhelming to attempt to absorb hundreds of facts each week. It seemed hopeless for me. I knew that if I could not get those grades up, my chances of getting accepted into the RN nursing program would be greatly diminished.

I finally realized that I had to teach myself how to study. Eventually I was able to bring up my grades by keeping disciplined and focused. I finished the Anatomy I class with an A-, and had straight A's every semester.

It can be done!

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That’s so crazy! Yeah, the paycheck is ok but the work isn’t that great. I was going to look for a new job but I’m going to try and stick it out since I need the $$. I do currently go to CCAC Allegheny. I’m finishing A&P 1 and Micro right now. My suggestion is that you look at the nursing packet on CCAC’s website. The packet has a ton of great information and everything you need to know about applying.

What I did first was look at that nursing packet and compare the pre-reqs and the all of the classes in the program to the classes I took for my associate’s and bachelor’s to see which classes I took already and which ones I still needed. Once I did that, I saw I only needed 1 pre-req so I applied to CCAC, had my transcripts sent over, and signed up to take it (it was BIO 110) in this summer. Then I went to meet with an advisor. Honestly, the advisors aren’t super helpful, I’ve seen two different ones and neither of them knew that much about the nursing program. Out of the co-reqs (non-nursing classes), I had to take A&P 1, A&P 2, Micro, and Human Growth and Development, everything else I’ve completed.

CCAC admissions is solely based on GPA and they give out bonus points to your GPA for completing A&P 1, A&P 2 and Micro (“The Sciences”). I heard the cut-off GPA for the Spring 2014 Admission was 3.8. So having all the pre-reqs doesn’t guarantee you will get in. Most of the people who get in have at least 1 or more of the sciences completed. I did apply for the Spring but my GPA was a 3.4 and I didn’t get in. They took the average of my GPA from CCBC, RMU and CCAC since I didn’t have 12 CCAC credits. When I apply for Fall 2014 I will have the 12 CCAC credits and hopefully a 4.0 plus whatever the bonus points will be for A&P 1 and Micro.

Lastly, I caution you about accepting tuition assistance from your place of work. They might pay for it but you may get burned if you decide to the leave the company. Most places make you sign something that if they pay for you classes you have to stay at the company for a certain amount of time.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

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Hello!

I am in a very similar situation. I am 26 and got my bachelor's degree in finance and accounting. I always wanted to do nursing but made the wrong decisions when I was 18 and in college. I also went to law school for 2 years and completely hated that so I did not go back. I currently work for a commercial real estate company but I don't feel like I am getting anywhere. I have jumped around in jobs since I graduated college in 2009 and feel like I am at a dead end no matter what I do. I am looking to start taking my pre-reqs for nursing and then hopefully applying to CCAC and Shadyside School of Nursing since they have a part-time evening program. I have to continue to work full time while in school so going to school full time is not an option for me. I shadowed a few nurses earlier this year just to get a general feel for a typical work day and I really enjoyed it! Please keep me updated on your progress! It is nice to see that I am not the only 26 year old out there trying to change careers :)

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Hi Emily! I am 40 years old and I was a mortgage broker for 12 years. I am now only two classes away from applying to BSN program. I was at a crossroads back in 2011. I too had always wanted to be a nurse. This site and a good friend was my motivation to go for it. I have been at community college for the required pre reqs which keeps the cost low. Then will transfer to a private college next fall. Go for it!! I'll say it's been tough and will get tougher while in the nursing program but will be so worth it. Good luck!

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Just do it! Like many of you, I was on a similar boat. Mid 20s, bachelors degree in non-nursing field, decent job, but I always had that nagging feeling and wondered what it would be like if I had followed my heart in the first place and went into nursing. Well long story short, I decided to stop thinking about it and start doing it! So I started taking pre-reqs, and now I start accelerated nursing school in January! I knew I was making the right decision when I started taking my pre-reqs and actually enjoyed going to class and learning :bookworm:. I originally wanted to be a paramedic, but some family problems kept me from pursuing it straight out of high school, and from there I doubted and second guessed myself and went with a non-nursing field for my bachelors. But here I am, I am excited to start nursing school and finally get the ball rolling on what I started many years ago. It seems silly to say this, but don't give up hope and follow your heart! Sometimes we all just need a little encouragement. :up:

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