What did you do before nursing?

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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.

I am 46 and about to start the ADN program. I am retired from the U.S. Navy (20 yrs).

I start next week, so excited. I already have plans to go on for BSN and hopefully graduate school for nursing. Now I'm going back to read all the comments.

Thank you for your service!

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Needed to post under person's comment.

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Specializes in LTC, wound care.

Can I say a variety of things, but did antisubmarine warfare in the Navy, which has given me great data reduction skills and has made me a avid researcher.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

This is EXACTLY what I love about nursing. We are unique in health care fields in having so much diversity of backgrounds. I strongly believe this is one of our greatest strengths. A great many second and third career RNs enter through ADN programs. One thing I would hate to see is nursing become more like medicine and pharmacy where nearly everyone entering the profession lack much real life experience and comes from relatively well off family backgrounds.

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Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.

My first job in the medical field was when a friend of mine needed someone to replace her as the activities director in a nursing home. I was completely unqualified and never would have gotten hired otherwise. And I was terrible at it. While I was there I was filing my notes and started reading patients' charts and I was fascinated. I took a medical terminology class but I had no idea what I was going to do with it. I just knew I wanted to be in the medical field. Incidentally that class has been one of the most useful things I've learned.

I did did many jobs in the medical field before I finally decided to go to nursing school. Having a medical background helped, and I thought it would be an easy transition, but it wasn't. I still had to work very hard to graduate. I've been a dialysis nurse my whole career and the truth is I'd rather do something else but nobody will hire me. I wouldn't mind doing something different altogether but I'm not qualified to do anything else and I don't have a degree....yet. I'm working on my BSN. I need to do something else because I'm 54 and it's getting harder and harder to push those machines around. Lifting and being on my feet a lot isn't so great either. I would like to try something that's not so hard on my body, but like I said, nobody will hire me because I don't have any experience in anything besides dialysis. So I try and make the best of it until I graduate. The thing I like best about nursing is I get to do science every day and I get paid pretty well to do it. It pays better than being a lab assistant.

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knowing that Geriatrics and Dementia patients were the sparkle in my eye and the love in my heart.

That is, sort of, an odd way to describe that....

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Reading all of these responses; some people refer to a "calling" others talk about how they are loaded, but have friends with no money, others stability.

Pretty clear to me I actually have no business being a nurse. Honestly, I was forced into it by my parents way back when and I have been stuck ever since; my heart's not in it. I am a left brained person living a right brained life and it is soul crushing.

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I worked my way up to manager at a west coast burger joint for 6 years. I gotta admit sometimes I miss it!

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I have a BS in biology but didn't know what to do with the degree so I went to nursing school. I was a waitress from high school until I finished my RN. After 10 years as a RN, I obtained my BSN online. I'm still trying to find my niche in nursing. I leaning toward pediatrics.

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I am 46 and about to start the ADN program. I am retired from the U.S. Navy (20 yrs).

I start next week, so excited. I already have plans to go on for BSN and hopefully graduate school for nursing. Now I'm going back to read all the comments.

Hey! 31 years in the Canoe Club myself! I did a 8 year stint as a contractor in the antiterrorism field afterwards. I am in my third semester of four at Keiser University. I will go for my BSN after. Thank you for your service, shipmate!

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Reading all of these responses; some people refer to a "calling" others talk about how they are loaded, but have friends with no money, others stability.

Pretty clear to me I actually have no business being a nurse. Honestly, I was forced into it by my parents way back when and I have been stuck ever since; my heart's not in it. I am a left brained person living a right brained life and it is soul crushing.

Get out. Make the change.

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This is EXACTLY what I love about nursing. We are unique in health care fields in having so much diversity of backgrounds. I strongly believe this is one of our greatest strengths. A great many second and third career RNs enter through ADN programs. One thing I would hate to see is nursing become more like medicine and pharmacy where nearly everyone entering the profession lack much real life experience and comes from relatively well off family backgrounds.

Love the Sh*t Magnet avatar. Are you a fan of MILSPECMONKEY?

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