I got my degree in Accounting, but alway's been a caring person that loves to take care of people. Accounting was getting to me, i hated it, i chose Accounting for all the wrong reasons. I decided to pursue my nursing career. However i wondered, since being out of school for a while, and hearing that the nursing program was tough, scared me, so i backed of. One day i said to my self "Don't be scared, follow your heart, and it's never to late to change your career". I chose nursing because i want to make a difference, i want to help, love taking care of people, sick or healthy. I ask a lot of people " why do you want to be a nurse?" A lot say because it pays good. Smh those are the nurses that you see when you go to the hospital, nurses looking miserable, rood to the patients, don't have a care in the world. DON'T BE A NURSE FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS.
I actually had no original intention on entering the medical field. I contemplated law, journalism, and forensics when I was a freshman. However, at the end of my first semester, I found out I was pregnant with my son and had to drop out for a little while.
I worked as an Assistant Manager of an apartment community for about two years. I actually LOVED working in property management. I would probably even have stayed if I did not want to get back into school.
I fell in love with the idea of nursing gradually through my prenatal visits. I had some of THE best nurses. And it only got better when I went into labor. I had such an amazing labor, hospital stay, everything. And it just clicked. I knew that this was what I wanted to do whether it meant caring for someone, or seeing a new life, or just trying to keep someone in good spirits. I'm even toying with the idea of becoming an obstetrician... maybe after more kiddos, and after they are much older!
It was my sophomore year of high school that I realized I wanted to go into nursing. I was taking a general health class, and some of it talked about different nursing jobs. I was extremely interested in OB and I still am today (junior in college now, just started my PN program). I still feel like I'm on the right path with my career. I think I am meant to be a nurse. I love working with people and I am very caring and nurturing. And the field of nursing interests me greatly. I love nursing school so far. I know it won't all be peaches and cream, in fact it will be very stressful at times, but it will be worth it.
It was my sophomore year of high school that I realized I wanted to go into nursing. I was taking a general health class, and some of it talked about different nursing jobs. I was extremely interested in OB and I still am today (junior in college now, just started my PN program). I still feel like I'm on the right path with my career. I think I am meant to be a nurse. I love working with people and I am very caring and nurturing. And the field of nursing interests me greatly. I love nursing school so far. I know it won't all be peaches and cream, in fact it will be very stressful at times, but it will be worth it.
My mom ended up going to nursing school when I was 12. I was very proud of her, but it didn't make me consider nursing school. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a vet. I loved animals. As I got older, and started my pre-vet courses at college, I had a change of heart. I wasn't sure if I could do it. So I took a year off, and worked at a vet hospital. I loved it, and decided to go to school to be an animal nurse. At the time I wasn't thinking of pay, just following my dream. I did it because I loved animals, and would have more direct contact than a doctor. But I was surprised how much I loved the medical aspects of the degree. I loved learning about anatomy, disease processes, taking blood, working in surgery. It was fascinating.
But now, 14 years and 2 kids later, it isn't enough. I have worked in small clinics, specialty medicine, ER, ICU, a shelter. But there isn't much growth anymore. I feel stagnant. Plus, after all these years, the last job I had only made a few bucks more than minimum wage. No, I am not going to nursing school for the pay. I could do other jobs for more money. But I won't lie and say it doesn't help my decision. I can't keep doing jobs that don't help me support my family. Where almost every cent goes towards child care. As a nurse, I would make 2-3 times as much money.
So I figure this would be the best of both worlds. I could do something I enjoy, nursing (just different species, lol), helping people, and make enough money to take care of my family. I would have enormous room for advancement. I could go for my Master's or my PhD. I love school and learning and might even be a professor some day. I could become a NP, a nurse manager, or even a CRNA. The opportunities are endless, and I can't see ever being bored or feeling "stuck" doing the same thing every day.
My mom was a nurse before having kids. She tried to get me into it but I was NOT INTERESTED. No way. I was going to either be an artist or do something with animals. I picked animals.
After high school I went and majored in Animal Science. I started out pre-vet, but wasn't really enthused about being a vet. I went ahead and got my degree but the end goal was to be a horse trainer and breeder. After graduation I got an internship at a breeding farm across the country, which I did for most of a year, and at this point I also met my fiance. I then got an assistant trainer position, which didn't work out as my employers were downright abusive. I moved back to be with my then-boyfriend and got another assistant training position and was driving 2 hours each way to get there. It was fun, but didn't pan out the way I was promised and I quit and started trying to take clients of my own.
I then realized I needed horses to just be my hobby. It's very difficult to make a living with horses, particularly with the bad economy. People are selling babies for less than what their dad's stud fee was, and while it's not cheap to put a horse in training in the end you are only making about $10/ride and that's without any benefits and doing something pretty risky. And forget about having vacations- you put in training rides all week and then show all weekend. And if you want to have kids, you're just going to have to take that time off, again there is no maternal leave running your own business. I also just don't enjoy the marketing. I don't like talking myself off and constantly trying to convince people I have more skills than the kid down the street or more honest than the next trainer that I know for a fact beats their horses when no one's looking. I have this amazing mare but I couldn't afford to show her or breed her on what I was making, so that it didn't even make sense to have her.
So I looked into a career change. It needed to be cost effective, so the $ in nursing doesn't hurt. But then, I also considered the financial world where I would make more but I think I would enjoy it far less. I enjoy taking care of living things; I am just making a switch from horses to people. I enjoy having a story to tell when I get home. And I really like kids, so I'm hoping to get into pediatrics or midwifery, but overall there are so many paths to take in nursing that I don't have to decide right now. I'm never going to feel like I do the same thing day in and day out.
The somewhat flexible scheduling will be so much more family friendly, and I will have enough money to be comfortable and enjoy my horses as a hobby. And with me being a nurse and my fiance being a teacher, I figure we can live pretty much wherever we want- even small towns always have a school and a hospital nearby.
I chose nursing because I wanted to be a physician, but I couldn't swing it between husband's job commitments and kids. So nursing seemed like the next best thing.
Holy moly, though, did I absolutely FALL IN LOVE with this field. Sometimes life knows more about where we belong than we do. Nursing isn't "the next best thing" for me. It's THE thing for me now. :)
sjg8412
52 Posts
I actually had no original intention on entering the medical field. I contemplated law, journalism, and forensics when I was a freshman. However, at the end of my first semester, I found out I was pregnant with my son and had to drop out for a little while.
I worked as an Assistant Manager of an apartment community for about two years. I actually LOVED working in property management. I would probably even have stayed if I did not want to get back into school.
I fell in love with the idea of nursing gradually through my prenatal visits. I had some of THE best nurses. And it only got better when I went into labor. I had such an amazing labor, hospital stay, everything. And it just clicked. I knew that this was what I wanted to do whether it meant caring for someone, or seeing a new life, or just trying to keep someone in good spirits. I'm even toying with the idea of becoming an obstetrician... maybe after more kiddos, and after they are much older!