What did you do before nursing?

[golson]

I've met more than a few people that have made or are pursuing nursing as a second career. What did you do before? What are the ups and downs in comparison?

I'm not a nurse yet, but since I'm the OP, I'll go first. After being a fast food worker, a pizza cook, and a warehouse worker for Best Buy, I was an intel analyst in the Army, serving everywhere from infantry battalions all the way up to division headquarters. Later, I was a targeting analyst for an established defense firm, and later still for a an upstart company that took the contract from my original bosses. 10 years down the road and seven countries later, I'm knocking out the rest of my pre-reqs before I begin nursing school in January.

[dflowersrn]

I started nursing school at 17 and have been a nurse for31 years I wanted to be a nurse since I was 9

[Happytony, BSN, RN]

I was a high school Spanish teacher for 11 years, in 2010 I said I wanted to be a nurse, so I became a CNA & found a position 4p-12a in a nursing home. I told my teaching job at the end of that year don't renew my contract I gonna be a nurse. After being a cna in a nursing home & working on a orthpedic/surgical floor in a hospital. I completed my LPN program in June of 2015 & just waiting on a test date for nclex, never looked back

[SKR56]

I was an esthetician and a nail tech. Got my RN in May at the age of 56 and I am loving my new career.

[ironmaidenjc]

I am student nurse. But I am a retired welder of 20 years before deciding I wanted to be a midwife. I have birth doula, massage therapy and hypnotherapy. It took a long time to hash out if I wanted a CPM or a CNM degree.

[iowa27]

Flight Simulation Technician with a major airline.... Great job, great pay and bennies. But never felt fulfilled......When they offered an early retirement instead of a relocation, I jumped on it. Decided to pursue a career that I could feel good about when I went home. However, I don't always feel good while driving home, as I'm new at this nursing thing and it can be a bit overwhelming. I went from a 99% male oriented job to vice versa..... Very strange, but every day at the hospital leaves me shaking my head for many reasons..... :)

[ackbar]

I worked in business for many years. Quit to become a nurse. Worked as a nurse for less than a year because I found it too stressful. Went back to my old career. Feel lost at this point.

[sailornurse]

Worked at burger place, (graduated one semester early from high school, started college) & yes, I go to ask, "You want fries with that?".

10th grade worked at a "Five & Dime" store, for One Dollar per hour! (if you know what that is, you are probably a COB! I also used to clean the home of a retired LPN, every Saturday, Earned $6.00 for the 4 hours, enough to fill my gas tank for the whole week to get to nursing school. Became LPN at 19, worked L&D every weekend 3-11. The RN was 21, the CNA was 20, yup the patients mothers would always ask us to go get the nurses!!!!

[Graduatenurse14]

I have a BS in Education and taught kids and adults, worked in Christian-based and secular non-profits. I got my RN at 43 and work on busy med-surg unit and am not happy there. I'm going back for my BSN in Spring 2016 and want to work in Health Literacy- really anything but running around a unit like a chicken with my head cut off feeling more like a waitress (did that in high school and college) than anything.

[tkg123]

I worked as an Office Manager for a small wastewater consulting firm, then an Accounts Payable clerk for a state university, then a Campground Ranger and finally a Biology Technician and General Ranger for the National Park Service. The views while working in some of the most beautiful parks in the country (Yosemite, Grand Teton, and Olympic) were worth waking up for but the pay as a seasonal worker was abysmal. I get paid more as a nurse but I sure work my butt off. Some days, I'd give it all up to be poor and go back to the Park Service. It's hard to beat hiking all day long and getting paid for it. Unfortunately, it's also hard to raise a family and have much stability when you are working seasonally, hoping for a full time job.

I graduated with my RN at 39.

[Trauma_drama14, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

Started off working at KFC when I was 16, then worked as a dietary aid in a LTC and transitioned from there. Stuck around that place for a couple years, transitioned to a resident assistant in their AL & became a LPN. I passed and became a LPN a few months after my 19th birthday. And I've been working as a RN for a little over a year :)

[Fly_Nurse]

I was a phlebotomist for 13 years. Now I'm LPN working in home care also in the LPN - to - RN bridge program.

[Erickap71]

I was a Paralegal then a stay at home mom for 16 years.