Hello everyone,

I apologize in advance for the lengthy post, but I know this catharsis I am about to have is what I need right now ...

I am fairly new to this forum and I wanted to post my own story, mainly because I am looking for some objective opinions about where I stand in my present plan to enter the nursing profession.  The road I have taken since high school in pursuit of a career has been quite interesting to say the least.  In retrospect, I have mixed feelings about it all: on the one hand, I feel proud to have diversified my work experiences so much that I have seldomly felt bored.  On the other hand, I sometimes feel like my career path appears to be unfocused and I am sometimes embarrassed that it has not taken a straight path as has some of my friends and colleagues.

Ever since grade school, I had pretty much decided that I was destined to be a pediatrician.  I graduated high school in the top 3 and started college as a biology major.   My first semester however was a train wreck: I got a D in general biology and a D- in general chemistry.  Needless to say, I was now on academic probation and disenchanted with the idea of going to medical school (plus I could not understand how I had done so poorly having earned an A in high school biology).  I made a hasty decision the following semester and switched my major to psychology because, after all, I earned a B+ in PSY 101.  I made the dean's list the following semester and most semesters after that, rebounding out of probation quite quickly.  Eventually I added a minor in health education in which I did pretty well.  I considered several careers during college, from clinical psychologist to health education teacher to probation officer.  I really did not know what I wanted to do with my life.  Still scarred from my poor grades in science that 1st semester, I gave up dreams of ever entering the health care profession.  During the end of my junior year I decided I would pursue law.  But I wanted to work a couple of years first to see if I still wanted to go to law school.  I graduated college 0.05 points shy of cum laude, which was a bummer but still happy it was a decent GPA.

I then took a job in the fundraising industry after graduation, basically overseeing capital campaigns and training its volunteers.  It was a great job and I did that for 3 years.  However, I still wanted to go to law school, so I left my pretty secure fundraising job (giving up a promotion in the process) to attend law school full-time.  After my first semester in law school, I was shocked to discover that I knew I was not going to be a traditional lawyer or if I was that I would not like it.  However, pride got in the way and I could not bear the thought of quitting law school after all I had done to get there (fortunately, tuition was cheap as it was a state school).  I also went through with it so that my mom would have some bragging rights, single mom that she was I feel like she deserved it.  So, I ended up graduating three years later with a JD ... no honors, only with the satisfaction of knowing that I never earned a grade below a C while there.  I passed the bar and practiced law for the next 3 years.  My mom passed away suddenly 2 months before 9/11 and that time for me was incredibly emotionally turbulent for me.  Any passion I had mustered for the work that I was doing was now gone and I was clearly running on fumes for 5 more years in law.  Then ...

I decided I was truly unhappy practicing law and had a revelation one day.  I wanted to be a chiropractor!  I researched the profession and spoke to my own chiropractor about it, it was almost as if I had rediscovered an opportunity for me to revive my dreams of going into health care.  I also fantasized about being able to mix chiropractic and law in my future career path.  I was so excited that I firmly made plans to leave the legal profession in a year or so while I completed some prerequisites.  I retook general chemistry at a local college and this time I got an A in both semesters!  That to me was my sign that I was in the right direction.  So, after some campus visits and lots of reading I chose the chiropractic college that I wanted to attend, applied, was accepted and relocated 1,000 miles away with a little nest egg.  Once I arrived there however, the grim reality hit me almost immediately that I was unprepared to take on such a massive debt, an academic pursuit that was guaranteed to dig my student loan ditch even deeper (I have no idea WHY I did not see this earlier).  The chiropractic school and industry does not offer many scholarships at all and if they do most all of them are extremely sparse, so that became a dead end for me (BUT the school actually provides full scholarships to Miss America contestants interested in being chiropractors, go figure that ... no hope at all there) ... so, now living in a state where it would be a hassle to get a new law license (and I was NOT going to sit through another bar exam), I went on to look for a new line of work in my new home.  Embarrassed and disenchanted once again ... this was 3 years ago.

I fairly quickly fell into the education field, specifically involving tutoring and flourished both as a tutor and eventually into a managerial position.  I still maintained my law license active in my home state.  I was fairly happy doing what I was doing but the recent recession has placed severe restrictions on my work and my hope of ever making a future for myself in that field has dwindled.  Hopelessly in a state of misdirection, I went to a career center in my community and took a free career inventory, excited to finally identify what industry my skills and interests lay (why I never did this before I don't know either).  I took this hour-long computer test and the results were sent to a counselor. Well, when I met with her she stated that she had never seen anything like it: my results show that my skills and abilities are above average in every category and that there was no obvious skills frontrunner.  Most people have obvious variances but I did not.  However, there were three industries indicated which showed the most prominence: Life/Medical Sciences, Administrative/Financial Detail, and Nursing/Social Services.

I slowly started to think about the health care industry once again, but actually happy that I never went through with chiropractic study.  A couple of weeks ago, I was reading an article about nursing and it dawned on me that I had NEVER considered the field and that subconsciously I was always fascinated with their work.  It almost seemed to me as if I have always been preparing for this field but never realized it.  I also believe that subconsciously I may have blocked the idea of becoming a nurse previously because I am male.  Now I sit here more excited than ever about this potential career path ... with a feeling that YES this is what I am supposed to be doing.  Again, I am also able to see my work as a lawyer nicely meshing in with a nursing degree.

Having said all this, now I am starting to get SCARED.  Given my "unfocused" career timeline (for lack of a better word), I am worried that nursing has become just another "sounds good for the moment" career choice and that I will fall on my face once again.  But at the same time, I am excited to feel as if I FINALLY found my calling and saddened that this opportunity did not cross my mind until now (at age 39).  How I wish I had started this in my 20s.  I have bounced the idea off of a few close friends and they have actually been enthusiastic about it, saying that they can absolutely see me working as a nurse.

So now, I bounce the idea off of you all .. those of you anyway that have endured this long post and were not bored in the process.  I am interested in hearing what others that do not know me can say about my situation without the bias of knowing me personally.

Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for your thoughts!

I have to agree with dmazement. You have to do what makes YOU happy! You are well-educated and most of your stuff will transfer but I think you should start at the bottom and work your way up without creating any more debt.Start out as a CNA as that is the first thing we are taught-the basics.It is critical that you can perform these skills because as licensed personal it is also our responsibility to provide care for our clients. If you like doing that type of job then see what options you have.There are many schools that offer online courses which you can still do,just make sure wherever you choose for nursing will transfer your credits,you can also do online nursing but your clinicals still have to be done.You need to think and do lots of research and make sure that is where your heart is.It is a demanding profession at the very least but it is also enriching and fun.Good luck!

Thanks to all of you who have replied with your kind and spirited words.  It is really encouraging to know that I have a passion brewing within me and that an objective eye recognizes and admires my talents.  There was never a moment in my life where I felt that my mom was not proud of me, I was one big brag for her wherever she went (I was her only child) and even her friends would tell me how much she would lovingly talk about me (I started tearing just writing that, even after 8 years since she left this world it's still hard).  I know she would have loved to have seen me working as a nurse and in some way I feel as if she's guiding me towards that now. 

I spoke to an admissions advisor yesterday at the local state college and turns out I may only need to complete one prerequisite (Microbiology) before entering the nursing program.  This of course is contingent upon my transcripts being evaluated for other coursework but she gave me a preliminary idea of what' may happen with transfer credits.  I will plan to take Microb. this summer.  At the same time, I will continue my research into nursing and looking into volunteering at the hospital to get first-hand exposure of surroundings I will work in.  I used to volunteer at a hospital years ago and loved the experience. 

Very excited about the future now.

It is never too late to become a nurse or anything else for that matter. Life brings us all down different paths for unknown reasons. It is what we do with our opportunities that make us the person we are. I say go for it and go for the RN from the start. You are very well educated already and it probably wouldnt be too bad for you. I think we are all guilty of wanting to please our parents, but now it is your time to shine and do what you want! What a great son your mother had. I am sure she was extremely proud of you. Best of luck in whatever you decide to do!

Didn't mean to be negative on the CNA topic.  I also was a CNA and know how hard it is.  And, yes I learned a lot, but I feel if one really wants to be a nurse, they should start the program.  Sorry if I offended anyone.  CNA's rock!  I was one for  2 years.

I agree with dmaz.  For someone with no true idea of what it's like to work in a healthcare setting, the PCT or CNA route can be essential.  Some may just find out that it's truly not for them.  I've seen it happen.  And, unless you're doing an accelerated program, most programs (at least in our area) require one of these certifications as a pre-req.

I am feeling the same way.  I am 35 and have NO idea what to do when I grow up!  I have a BS in Community Health Education, loved my internship in cancer prevention but then fell off the map to get married straight out of college.  I returned to the map but was only able to break into research coordinator/assistant positions in behavioral science and later breast cancer.  I enjoyed both areas of research but really am drawn to woman's health and breast cancer. 

I have been working in research protection for the past 6 years - research protocol review and approval and in animal care an use committees and I am so very tired and bored with the paper pushing and would prefer a more hands on position with some patient interaction.

My thoughts always go back to working with patients in a woman's health/breast cancer arena.  I applied for a nursing program about 5 years ago but was not really ready at the time and it must have shown during my interview for the program.  I was not accepted. 

Here I am 5 years later applying again for a BSN program.  I have my interview in a couple of weeks and I am so nervous!  I have researched nursing until my mind has been swimming with information.  I have my interview material all ready to regurgitate.  I don't have the volunteer experience but I have applied and plan to start orientation for volunteering in a hospice this month. 

I am also drawn to forsensic and hospice nursing. 

My question is will I get tired of nursing too?  Will I not like it?  Am I not suited for it as I am not the most social of people?  I think that I just second guess myself every time I have a new opportunity in front of me. 

I need a change - I cannot continue with the career path I am currently on...

Hi everyone,

Had not realized that it's been over a year since I started this thread, so much has happened since I did so wanted to update:

I started volunteering at a hospital sometime after I posted this thread ... well, I have been there about 18 months now and have never been happier.  I in fact enjoy going to my volunteer service more than my own paid job.  I have also since completed several prereqs for nursing school (AP 1&2, micro, nutrition) and am happy to report that I earned A's in all of them.  I did apply to one nursing school (an accelerated BSN) last year to start this summer but was waitlisted and since the class filled up I was never called to fill a seat.  Oh well, so I continued working and applied to another school and I learned earlier this month that I was accepted into the program for the Spring!  Happy about that, but a little sad that I may not be able to afford it, and besides, I won't be able to start school until next summer at the earliest due to work (I renewed my contract for another year ending May 2011).  So I am applying to other programs with the faith that I will be competitive for those as well, just to see what happens.  I believe what is meant to be will happen and be there for me.

In the meantime, I am so happy that I will be a nurse soon, I can't wait!  Thanks to all of your positive responses!