After much dilemma, I have decided against a second career in nursing. Although I do not doubt I could have excelled in the field both academically and professionally (actually received an A in my first pre-requisite class), I do not believe, at least not at this time, that nursing would be a good career for me. Nursing is a great field and perhaps if my circumstances were different I would have still went along with my plans but they are not and that is OK. Although I am still relatively young, I am not in my 20s and I have a lot of responsibilities at this time that would make pursuing a career like nursing not very practical. A great deal of sacrifice would be needed for me to pursue a nursing career at this point in my life and although the salary potential would have been good, I could possible lose others benefits that are not based on salary, including stable childcare, predictable work schedule, and a pension. These are not things that I can take likely and being home with my children every weekend and on every major holiday is something no money can replace. The job market right now is tough and the nursing field is extremely competitive right now. I like the idea of being a nurse but I cannot say for sure if I have a passion for it (and passion is needed to get through nursing school!).
My plans now are to go back to my original career goal of getting my MSW (Masters of Social Work) degree and possible work in the areas of health and mental health. Despite the relative low salary of a LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker) initially, my salary should increase after a few years. I may even pair my MSW with an MPA (Masters of Public Administration) degree but that may be a bit ambitious at this time. Regardless of what I decide to do, I have to do what is comfortable for me and my family and not just something that everyone else is doing or for the sake of money. I already made that mistake with my first degree so now its time to try something different.
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