What sacrifices will you make? / How hungry are you?

[NCmcMan]

Recently, at the age of 33 (to be 34 in July) "the light" went off. I have been searching my whole life for a purpose. I have been working a menial job, while trying to get by. I thought that this was it for me. All of the years of self loathing and feelings of worthlessness have done nothing for me except balloon me up to 500 lbs and make me feel like a horrible person. I don't know how it happened, but it just clicked for me. I decided that I want to be an RN. Now, nothing else matters. This is my goal and I will do whatever I have to do to make it happen. I haven't ever felt this motivated in my entire life. At some point I wanted to get into law enforcement, but I no longer care about that. I have many hurdles to overcome for sure. Firstly, I've never been a good student. I dropped out of high school back in 1997. I only recently got my GED 3 years ago. I was so intimidated by going for that. When I got there, I realized Hmm, this isn't that hard. It was all about going and doing. Now, I am ready to move onto the next part of my life. I know pre nursing is going to be hard for me, but I refuse to let that get me down. I plan on going to ALL of my classes, and even organizing study groups so that all of us will be able to challenge and test ourselves. I probably won't be able to afford a tutor, but I will definitely ask questions here on this forum when I need help. I am also now on a very strict diet. I have been counting my calories and making sure that I am not eating more than I should. There is no room for failure. As with a lot of you, I wasn't born into a family that has a lot of money. In fact, my family has NO money. Basically, before I can go to to nursing school, I will have to save about 7 or 8 grand so that I will have a cheap room to live in somewhere. If necessary, I will apply to every community college in America until somebody accepts me into their program. I will will work part time flipping burgers, mopping toilet stalls, dig ditches, or whatever. I'll even go on food stamps, and I'm a proud man. So basically, I will do WHATEVER it takes to get into nursing school, pass and then pass my NCLEX exam. I am just curious if anyone here is in a similar boat as I am. Are any of you folks super poor without support? I feel like It would just be a relief to hear from some of you guys. Thanks for listening.

Josh

[MrsStudentNurse]

That is awesome! I have no doubt you'll excel as a student and nurse. I too am focused and though there have been some big hurdles I've overcame each one some more difficult than others.

Reality is what value is something if there's not some blood and tears involved? It's what makes me all the more motivated.

As for money, if you're "poor" then I'm sure you'd qualify for financial aid after applying for fafsa. Working as a CNA meanwhile can make a livable wage as well.

Best of luck!!!

[TerpGal02, ASN]

Wow hangon, your story sounds quite similar to mine, except one state over and 2 years earlier LOL. I graduated from University of MD in 02 with a polysci degree and when I started at the tender age of 17 (didn't turn 18 until Sept) I was totally sure I wanted to be a lawyer. By Junior year I had decided while I loved studying law, I didn't think I'd like practicing it so much. I ended up twiddling away in insurance for a few years when I finally realized I wanted to be a nurse, so I started my journey in 2008.and have been a psychiatric nurse for just a year now. It IS totally worth it, and OP with an attitude like that, I know you will be successful.

This is such an inspiring post! I am not in exactly in the same situation as you but I am fired up to return to school to be a nurse a bit later in life as well. I did the traditional thing. My parents were by no means rich but middle-class and able to send me to a state school to get my BS degree and support me through school. I am from West Virginia, went to undergrad at WVU right out of high school and graduated in 4 years with a bachelors in Political Science in 2004. At the time, my dream was to become a lawyer. I got into law school at Whitter in Costa Mesa, CA, got a scholarship, thought the world was my oyster and moved out to CA thinking I would be making the mad cheddar in 3 years after completing law school. Well, as soon as I walked on the campus I knew I had made a mistake. I was way too immature to be in law school (age 22) and was absolutely not in the right frame of mind. After one year, I failed out, I appealed to return and re-do my first year but was denied. I had no idea what to do. I spent many a night polishing off bottles of wine, feeling sorry for myself and sauving my crushed ego. I ended up working for the government, got involved in GIS (geographic information systems), took some classes in GIS and have been able to remain employed with a fairly decent salary working in the GIS/urban planning field which is what I do presently. Although I have had decent career so far, and been much luckier than most with a liberal arts degree, I have sort of just been muddling through, not really loving what I'm doing. I turned 30 this year, and like you were saying something clicked and BANG! I want to be a nurse and will do whatever it takes to get there! I still live in CA but would not be able to afford living here if not for dual-income with my husband (he's an engineer). I have had trouble getting into the high-demand classes like Anatomy and Physiology but I am building up my credits at the Santa Ana Community College in the easier pre-req classes. I took general pyschology last semester and this summer I am going to take nutrition and developmental psych... these are also pre-req classes for the programs I want to apply for. I really hope I can get into anatomy this Fall. So yes I know what you mean, I am working full-time at my day job and dreaming of the day when I can starting nursing school full-time and be on my way to the career I want with all my heart. I am hoping to get into an accelerated BSN program or 2nd career in nursing program and spend maybe 1-2 years going back to school full-time. Good luck to you! WE GOT THIS!

[megank5183]

Good for you, buddy! I dropped out of law school (and away from a scholarship) for nursing school. A lot of people told me I was crazy (maybe I was) but I honestly don't regret it or ever think I made the wrong decision. It is a tough road, especially when $ is a concern.

[highwaygirl]

It's definitely hard trying to juggle the intense nature of nursing school with the need to work and make money. I am extremely fortunate in that I could move back home and live with my mom while in school. I actually quit a well-paying job to do this, and I have to be honest that not having disposable income for the first time in 20+ years was a HUGE adjustment. But I know it will be worth it in the long run.

You should fill out the FAFSA form - it's the first step that you will have to complete for just about any financial aid. I am currently receiving Stafford Loans (I'm not eligible for Pell Grants because this will be my second degree) and that is how I pay for things like my car payment, car insurance, COBRA coverage, prescriptions, etc. You can get a maximum of about $10,000 a year with that loan.

Of course, loans should only be considered if you cannot qualify for grants. Free money is better than money you have to repay! When you decide on a school, visit their financial aid office and talk about your situation. They will be able to give you better information for your specific obstacles. Also, the school you attend probably has a lot of scholarships available for students, many based on need, which you might qualify for.

Good luck in your journey!

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

I don't know what your limit of how much that you are willing to do to get your nursing degree, but if you can get accepted into a BSN program at a university with ROTC programs they will pay for school plus a monthly stipend (living expense). You obviously will have a commitment to the military. There are also federal and state government programs that have student loan forgiveness with a commitment to work as a nurse in rural areas. The length of the commitment depends on the amount of loan that you want forgiven.

[aranursara7]

Your story is so touching and inspiring. It really encourages me to keep going. It seems like you have strong determination and passion pursuing your dreams. Don't let anything deter you. Keep your head up and be strong pushing forward always. You can do it :) Blessings.

"Keep moving, even if you don't want to. As long as you move forward something rewarding will come up..."

[NCmcMan]

Thank You all very much for the posts and kind words. I think all of us are definitely destined to do great things!!

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Bless your heart, OP, your story reminds me a lot of my own.

My family was dirt-poor when my husband lost his minimum-wage job and couldn't find another one back in the early '90s. His company fought his unemployment, and it was several weeks before he won benefits, putting us even farther in the hole. I mean, we were almost literally starving.......I remember these dehydrated disc-shaped "pork" rounds we got from a food bank; they were the last meat we had, and we couldn't eat them because they never re-hydrated even after they cooked. {{{{shudder}}}} I almost get chills just thinking about those days.

Then right after he started drawing UI benefits, I had an epiphany: I wanted our kids to live better than this. I wanted things for them that were utterly impossible to give them---a normal life, a decent home, new clothes each school year, an allowance, maybe even a vacation once in awhile. And I realized that it was going to be up to me to furnish these things.

I went to our local community services and took a battery of tests over the course of a week to help me determine what I wanted to do and what I was capable of doing. I figured I'd become a nurse's aide, as I'd always wanted to be a nurse but had struggled with math and science in high school. But when I went in for individual job counseling, the man I spoke with looked through my test scores and said, "Don't bother with nurse's aide training. You're smart enough to go much farther; you want to be a nurse. Why don't you just go for what you really want?"

I left there, drove out to the community college and used my last $20 to apply for entrance testing. I got into pre-nursing that summer, and never looked back. We stayed in the welfare system, then known as AFDC, during most of my time in school thanks to a caseworker who believed in me and bent some rules (and outright broke others) to keep us on benefits. My husband finally got another job, and I worked part-time as a hospital CNA while I was going through the nursing program. But it was that very first paycheck after I became an RN that really capped the journey for me, even though I wouldn't accept such paltry wages now and earned almost three times my new-grad salary last year. This was my ticket to independence, to a better life for my family, and I've never regretted it for a single moment.

We made it out of poverty and have had a good life. You will too.

[Clivia]

Community Colleges have many online courses, so you can do some of the prerequisite at a time schedule that suits you. Also, they offer afternoon and evening classes as well, which again may fit your schedule better.

I had young kids when I started back in school again so I took it one class at a time. If admitted to nursing school, I will go back full time.

Even if you cannot afford a tutor, schools offer tutoring. Also, instructors have office hours and are always happy to help you with questions. In fact, they appreciate that and see when you are serious in achieving your goals.

One step at a time and you will get there.

[NCmcMan]

My Goodness, you are a beautiful person. Thank You so much for sharing that story with me. I thought I was looking bad. You are the true inspiration.... :)

[NCmcMan]

Thank You for that information, Clivia. I definitely plan on being proactive with the instructors..

[AccelCNL, MSN, RN]

All the stories I hear on hear on touching and really show the hearts of people who will/be excellent nurses. I wanted to be a nurse for years. However, I went through a six year period where I was ill with a mystery illness that was diagnosed as epilepsy. I would take the meds and still have uncontrolled seizures. Suffice it to say, I could not pass the physical to get into clinicals. I finished my BA and took menial jobs not because I could not do better. However, the job market for freshly minted undergrads in terrible. Last year, I found out that I do not have epilepsy but it was a really bad hormone imbalance. I fixed that problem and now I am due to start clinicals in my ABSN program come this fall.

If you want something bad enough nothing will stop you. I wanted my undergrad degree. It took me 8 years to earn it because I was so ill. But I did it. I spoke it into my life. Speak positive things and you will reap it. Now I am finally going on the road I want to. The road is my no means close to being over ( I plan to do all the way to my DNP) but I thank G-d that I am here. There are many people who want to be a nurse and cannot do it because there are simply not enough spaces for everyone.

A little determination can be the difference between success and failure. We all determination in spades. Good luck everyone!!!