What other careers did you consider?

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Hi everyone!

I was just curious as to what other careers you thought about prior to nursing school, and what it was that made you decide nursing instead of that job?

Where you a second career person who switched? Or were you somebody who switched their majors? Someone who contemplated between nursing and another job? Or someone who always knew they wanted to be a nurse?

I myself highly considered being a special education teacher. I loved that environment and really found working with kids with disabilities to be highly rewarding. I found myself always wondering about the physiology of their problems though, and had always had an interest in science/how the body works. Really, though, for me, I saw that until a person was medically stable...nothing else mattered. No rehabilitative goals, no educational goals, nothing can be addressed until a person is medically stable so I wanted to be part of the team that helps get a person medically better, so that.... a person can focus on.....their lives.

Also, another big reason for deciding about nursing versus teaching, is that I wanted to be done with my job once I came home. I wanted to give it my all at work, and then come home and be able to have a personal life and focus on my family, friends, and other things. I feel like with teaching....a lot of times, atleast with the good teachers, teaching becomes the majority of their lives. I don't want a job that became my life...I wanted a job that would work with my life.

So, I decided that I wanted to become a nurse and work with kids with disabilities!

What's your story?

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Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.

I was in school, undecided about what to do. Got talked into taking a landscaping supervisor job that required me to quit school. The hourly wage I was being offered seemed astronomical to me. I was young an naive.

That company shut down, owner was drinking and not doing his end of the job (collecting for work done, finding new customers). He was in the middle of a divorce and sold the company. The people stepping into the business had their own supervisors, only offered us laborer positions (family owned, only family had management positions).

I returned to school, remembered nursing was on my list before and realized it was my best opportunity. Really, there wasn't another course of study out there that seemed better. I was very close to having the pre-reqs done, wanted to work indoors and felt nursing offered a sense of...........doing something for more than just a paycheck.

If money/time had not been a factor, I might have given accounting strong consideration. I just think I'd be good at it.

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Specializes in LTC.

MEdical examiner, doctor....private investigator. Still kinda wanna do the PI thing.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTAC, Critical Care.

Welder, Navy corpsman, professional bass fishing guide...

I just started taking courses for nursing and discovered I really liked it.

I still want to fish though...

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Finance, Accounting, Doctor, Pharmacist, Teacher, Occupational Therapist, Diagnostic Sonographer, EMT, Navy, Dentist...the list goes on. If Nursing were a 4-year degree, I may have gone with one of these instead. I am actually really passionate about Nursing and I STILL have days I absolutely detest it. I don't think I will last long in Nursing, unless I earn my Masters and run my own practice. Otherwise, it's a grim outlook for nurses.

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Fashion Designer, Music Teacher, Financial Advisor, Psychologist, Dental Hygienist, Radiation Therapist, Social Worker, Diagnostic Medical Sonographer

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Specializes in Peds Medical Floor.

I went to school to be an elementary school teacher. I, uh, didn't go to class much and dropped out. Then I got a job as a CNA because I could make more money doing that than anything else without a college degree. I was going to do it for 3 months tops, then move on when I found something else. Turned out, I LOVED working as an aide. But it is back breaking work. After hurting my back twice, I decided to get go to school for my LPN so I wouldn't be lifting so much.

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As a refugee from the airline industry in 1991, it came down to two words,....job security.

The Accelerated RN course started four months ahead of the Undertaker course.

True Story.

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Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.
As a refugee from the airline industry in 1991, it came down to two words,....job security.

The Accelerated RN course started four months ahead of the Undertaker course.

True Story.

Really? Hmmmmmmmm.........................

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Really? Hmmmmmmmm.........................

http://www.mdc.edu/north/funeralsciences/

The funny thing is that I still haven't completely ruled it out. ;)

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I considered every closely relatable health profession. Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, Respiratory Therapist. I was pretty much sold on nursing but I wanted to keep my options open. The closest competition was Speech and Nursing and I ultimately chose nursing. RT was my backup major. They're all avaliable at my school so that was one of my reasons.

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I decided to go to college many years after high school. I first considered being a social worker but that required a bachelor's and the college required classes that I had never taken in high school and plus I didn't want to wait 4 years to get a degree...actually it would have taken longer since I wanted to go part time since I was married with a child.

Then i decided on being an LPN but the school for that was over an hour away. The school for RN was 30 minutes away so that's actually why I decided to get my associate's in nursing. Now I am an RN case manager so I do kinda have a nursing/social work thing going on, so it's all good!:)

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