Want to quit nursing school.

Griffin123 · Apr 2, 2013

Finish nursing school. There are a million different things you can do with nursing. Let it be your "pay check" until your "passion" starts to turn out money. There are going to be a lot of folks who would tell you, "Don't go into it if your heart isn't in it." In a sense, they have a valid point. Part of the reason I say that is because you're not going to be very happy in nursing if it is not your passion. This is true. However, the way I see it there are only 3 options:

1) you can be unhappy as a nurse and have the ability to put a roof over your head while trying to pursue the things you enjoy

2) you can be unhappy living with your parents pursuing the things you enjoy and hope they eventually pay enough money to move out before it's time to collect social security

3) you can change majors to something that will allow you to earn a living, make that "your money maker" until your "passion" starts to turn out $$.

I recommend #1. You can go with #3 but please make sure it is something that will likely land you a job and pay you money. Keep in mind, you can always work on being a graphics artist "on the side". If it is something that there is enough demand and satisfactory pay for then it will prevail as your career in life. If not, then do it as a hobby.

Just my 2 cents. Hope it helps.

edit: Also consider this (and this is really the point of my post): Yeah, you are unhappy now. But you're not nearly as unhappy as you are going to be when you try to live on your own making $25,000 or less because you neglected to learn a trade (that pays reasonably well).

bluedove1 · Apr 2, 2013

Life is too short to be doing something you don't enjoy! You don't want to have that shoulda coulda woulda syndrome. It will sap the life out of you. Use that Nursing process you have learned to decided how you will go forward. We parents want the best for our children and may ride their backs or at least our children think that we are riding their backs but what we are really doing is having your back, meaning we will be your soft place to fall when things go wrong. Did they kick you out the first time you fail? Doesn't sound like it....are they disappointed yes I am sure they were but they built a bridge and got over it. Have a conversation with your parents, let them know how much you appreciate all they have done for you, but that you really want to major in xyz. You understand that it may not be what they want for you, but it is what you want for yourself. But don't go to them without a well thought out plan and a time table. Be prepared! Get a part time job...what we parents most fear is that our children won't be able to fend for themselves....so show them if they cut the apron sting....that you will soar on your own...that is not to say you won't stumble along the way, but they have raised a knowledgeable person who will succeed at being a graphic designer.

RunnerRN2015, ASN, RN · Apr 2, 2013

If you were my child (mine are 21 and 19 so you could be!), I'd tell you to quit nursing school and follow your passion! My younger son is an artist and plans on making his living as an artist (he wants to design artwork for video games--called a concept artist). He's working toward his Bachelor's degree in the field (yep, it's a real degree!) and plans on working for a video game company like Epic when he graduates. IT IS POSSIBLE!

And a 10 p.m. curfew? Seriously? My kids live at home--we pay for their schooling--and I cannot imagine imposing a curfew on them.

Perhaps it's time to cut the apron strings.

emerjensee · Apr 2, 2013

I would say to gracefully bow out.

Not to sound harsh but

1) you a filling a spot of someone who truly wants to be there.

2) You are potentially wasting your parents money by having no plans of practicing nursing or enjoying it.

And most importantly,

3) As a nurse, I am passionate and excited about my career, I feel so blessed to do what I do and I would absolutely hate to see a coworker not have that same passion. I would be horrified as a patient to have somebody provide care who had no emotional connection or passion for such an intimate, emotionally charged career.

-emerjensee

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · Apr 2, 2013

Don't quit. You need a back up plan. I say this as a 30 something mother of 3, including one who is starting college this year.

Sometimes, i think i don't really want to be a nurse, but my education is halfway done and already paid for through a combination of loans and grants. I will finish this trade. I think you should, too!

I think education is a blessing.

Griffin123 · Apr 2, 2013

Graphic Designers : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

This is probably the rosiest picture you're going to get of the field. The salary and the job employment growth of 13% looks nice. Key phrases to note in this article: "High Turnover" and "In 2010, about 29 percent of graphic designers were self-employed". Also remember that this same website shows an employment growth for nurses of 26% and yet there are folks screaming at the top of their lungs in this forum saying, "There is no Nursing Shortage" and "I can't find a job".

I strongly encourage you to learn any skill/trade (or college major) that will definitely pay you money. Use that skill/trade to get started out on your own and THEN focus on pursuing your dream. This method is safe and most likely quicker. You're about to be done with your first year of nursing school. So you probably have one or two years before you graduate. Conversely, if you change majors you may lengthen the amount of time you spend at home, you may or may not land a job anywhere in the same state that you live in now and you'll be in a field that the federal government describes as "high turnover".

allnurses Guide · Apr 2, 2013

Dpf, honestly I see your difficulties as layer upon layer. Nursing school is the top layer. Underneath that are fundamental aspects of developing into an independent adult. I say that not to be cruel, but that the source of your misery is most likely also related to the fact that you are 23 years old, your parents control choices in your life that you should be controlling, and that you are paying a high price just for the continued financial support you receive.

Do you have a trusted friend, mentor, religious advisor, or school counselor to talk to? I think it would help you immensely to get fresh, supportive, objective advice so that you can see all your options and get out of the destructive loop you find yourself in right now. Your depression is so evident in your writing. I hope for you all the things you want for yourself, but may need some outside help getting there. (((dpf))))

Everline · Apr 2, 2013

My advice? Finish nursing school. There is a good chance you will be happy that you did. Finish, get a job and gain your independence. At that point, you will be free to pursue so many different things. You are still very young. I agree that your feelings are much deeper than the nursing school dilemma. You have a situation that is difficult, but IMO, finishing nursing school will help you solve some of it. Just my opinion. But it comes from experience.

dpf112 · Apr 2, 2013

Thank you for all the comments! I've been thinking about leaving home, but I've become this person who can't say no to her parents. I feel like I'm committing a sin if I do. I see what some of you mean that I should use nursing as a stepping stone, but the other half is right too, I shouldn't be doing something that I hate and sink myself into oblivion. Nursing will be a good paying career, but as I'm doing the clinicals and meeting the patients, I'm realizing more and more why I don't want to pursue this.

I'm scared of what to say to my parents, especially what I would say to them. I don't want to disrespect them at all. I'm also scared of learning to live on my own.

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2013

How would your parents feel about pursuing a degree in business management? That's a practical degree, but one that will also help you in the future as a graphic designer. It can help you learn valuable skills that you can use to start and grow your own business.

If you don't want to be a nurse, you should not finish nursing school. In the end, it's a giant waste of your time, and your parent's money if you don't plan on using your degree. Think about it this way- is it fair to your parents for them to pay for an education you know that you aren't going to use?

It's time to have an adult conversation. You're an adult, these are adult decisions that you're making and you and your parents deserve to have them handled as adults. Heck, Since I began nursing school I had to get a job (I worked as a waitress and at Subway- both just to pay the bills, not because I saw a future in them) in addition to going to school full time. I paid my own rent, my food, my expenses. My tuition was paid through scholarships and loans that I am now repaying. You certainly aren't the first person that has to figure out how to make ends meet without the help of Mom and Dad.

Sit them down and explain your feelings. Tell them that you understand they want you to pursue a stable career, but you also need to enjoy that career. Explain that, through nursing school, you've realized that it's not a career that suits your personality, your skills or your future goals and it isn't fair to you or to them that you continue with it. Then suggest another field of study that you may be able to compromise on (like business, that I suggested above).

Maybe even point out that it's really not as easy as they probably think to get a job in nursing right now. New graduates are often waiting a year or more just to get a job. Many hospitals aren't hiring and are even laying off. It's not as stable as you might think.

Finally, going into the real world is scary, but it's something that everyone has to do. I strongly suggest that you take steps to become more financially independent. Get a job- even if it's doing something like waitressing so you can have your own income. Then move into your own place. Your parents are controlling you because you are allowing them to. You are living in their house, going to school for what they want you to, and letting them foot the bill for everything. If you want to make decisions about your life, you need to take control of your life and start becoming more independent.

Griffin123 · Apr 3, 2013

Deciding to what to say to your parents and learning to live on your own is not as scary as (select all that apply):

1) Your apartment being broken into because you could only afford to move into a bad neighborhood.

2) Getting an eviction notice because you don't have enough money to pay your bills.

3) (Upon being evicted) Living in a trailer next to some guy with a hyphenated first name and owns a meth lab.

4) Waiting in a coin-operated laundromat (because your clothes may get stolen) and sitting next to a guy that has been staring at you silently for the last 35 minutes.

5) Renting an apartment with a room mate that failed to mention his/her heroine problem. Your valuable belongings begin to randomly disappear shortly thereafter.

6) Renting an apartment with a room mate that fails to tell you things in a timely manner. Like "By the way, I forgot to tell you, this stuff we've been drinking is a hallucinogenic."

7) Renting a cheap apartment with paper thin walls. You live above a 46 year old male that somehow enjoys singing to Celine Dion. The bedroom that is adjacent to yours is occupied by a 26 year old female who happens to be "a screamer".

8) You notice the guy that lives in the apartment across from you frequently speaks of business trips to Panama. He works in a vacuum cleaner and sewing machine shop.