What did you do before nursing?

Nurses General 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.

Specializes in Dialysis.

I worked in maintenance. Programmed robots for the factory I worked in. Have a bachelor's in computer science as well as my BSN. Prior to that, Army and SAHM

I've been a RN since the age of nineteen. I've been a nurse forever! :o)

Specializes in LTC, Sub-Acute, Hospice.

I was a government employee in the children's services field. Took my prerequisites during the last 2 years of my career and applied to nursing schools in my area. I took an "80 and out" retirement package and became an RN at 53 and BSN at 55. after 9 months I went contingent. Living the life working 2-3 shifts a week. Now I have flexibility in my life and less drama.

Worked food service for 5 years, was a volunteer receptionist at the American Indian Center in Iowa, did daycare. Chose nursing for the pay and job security (figured there would always be sick people) as I had a child to raise. It's been a great profession!

I became a mother early in my life so each job was just that, a job. I always wanted to be a nurse and knew it from an early age. Whenever I was in a hospital as a patient, or visiting a friend or family member, I felt drawn to the nursing profession some how. I can't really explain it to anyone except those that have experienced the same.

I worked at a local grocery store for 6 years, then at an insurance company for 13. I was a stay at home mom for three years after my third child and then worked at an employee benefits outsourcing company for 9 years where I had the luxury of working from home 2 days a week. It was great to be able to work from home and not commute into the neighboring city but I still felt like I did not want to do that job for the rest of my life. My husband and I discussed me going to school to follow my dream of being a nurse. We saved up a year's salary and I quit my job and started college in the fall of 2013. I was 49 years old. I had to take several classes to catch up, but in the fall of 2014 I was finished with all pre-reqs and applied for the Spring 2015 Nursing Program at the community college where I was accepted. I am now entering my 3rd semester of nursing school and I KNOW this was the right decision for me. It's never too late to follow your dreams. :)

I just finished my BS in chemistry in 2012. Worked in a lab for 2 years. Realized I needed something more exciting and challenging. Worked on switching careers and going back to school, but in the meantime, I worked at a car dealership selling Lincolns. Now I work at a children's hospital as a PCA and going back for my BSN....all at 24 years old. Should have did some soul searching before spending 3.5 years for a BS I don't like not that long ago. But here I am.

For most of my working life I have worked in the M-F, 8-5 office environment. Last 13 years or so I was an HR professional. With the full support of my wonderful husband, last December I left my job of 11.5 years and have been working on becoming a nurse since then. I already have a bachelor's degree and so I have been taking all the science classes I never had to take for my liberal arts BA. This fall I am working on getting my CNA license so that I can start working in the medical field and will continue pursuing my goal to getting my BSN.

All my working life I have worked to make money and support my family. That is still true but I have changed career paths because I want to be in a meaningful occupation. I want to give back to my community and to my fellow human beings.

Specializes in Orthopedics, Med-Surg.

I ran a scuba shop for my first 10 years after moving out of my parent's house. I sold and repaired scuba gear and taught people how to dive. The third year I learned how to fly and accumulated flying hours along with a commercial license, instrument and multi-engine ratings. These came in handy when I closed the scuba shop.

After an interim job working construction, I got a job as a charter pilot for a local fixed base operation. Two years later, I experienced a catastrophic engine failure in a single engine Piper Lance and crashed bigger than life. I spent the next 18 months recovering.

My next flying job was as a courier pilot, flying canceled checks around the state for the federal reserve bank. I quit it in the winter because I was expected to fly in icing conditions in an airplane not equipped to handle ice. Not a risk I wanted to take. I sold cars for a short while, then got hired by a cargo airline flying auto parts into the NE United States and Canada. The company went belly up.

All of the pilots got called into a meeting on Thursday to tell us how we were now unemployed. On Saturday, I picked up the newspaper and read how the local hospital association had just gotten an ADN program approved by the state. On Monday, I was on the phone to the school. Six weeks later I started nursing school. Two years after that I passed the NCLEX.

My life has not been dull. I retired five years ago at the age of 55.

This resonates strongly with me. I just finished my prerequisites and now I'm assembling my application to nursing school, after being a lawyer in civil practice for over ten years. There really are never life-threatening emergencies, but every day everyone is yelling and screaming like the apocalypse is nigh. It's tiresome and needless, I'm hoping to pursue my RN and do something useful.

I did so much. I was a telephone operator, casino dealer, casino pit boss, casino instructor, author of a book, business owner(2), bank teller, veterinary tech and dog groomer.

Can't wait to see what is next.

Great post, as yes many of us did something else before nursing. The first time in college I was a communications major and then sorta fell into working in advertising and marketing. I worked at some good agencies, spent time in a corporate in-house marketing department before realizing I was in the wrong industry. It was fun at first, but being stressed out about creating junk mail seemed silly after awhile. I came home one day and knew I couldn't spend the rest of my life dealing with that nonsence. My amazing wife, the ARNP told me to quit and find something else. After a lot of thought I decided on nursing and started knocking out pre-reqs. I had great support and started pre-reqs with a newborn at home and had a second daughter before graduating. I've been an RN for a little over three years and have never regretted my decision.

Specializes in Med-Surg, diabetes.

I was a little nurse from age 5-caring for my dolls, giving them shots and medicines. I became a Candystriper at age 14, then a nurse aide when I was old enough. Went immediately into nurses training after high school and became an RN in 1972. I never wanted to be anything but a nurse, and had a very rewarding career. Was always the plan!

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