Compassionate professions (the newest ABC soap opera?)
I have recently decided that I really want to go back to school and finish my degree. This was always something I planned on when I left CNC several years ago. I needed to get away from it for a while and refocus. If you can call getting married and having a child refocusing, then that is what I have done. I don't NEED to work right now, but I want to start preparing for that day when my last child goes to kindergarten and I am faced with that "now what do I do???" moment. I find myself faced with a dilemma. Do I go back and finish my degree in education, or do I find something else to do. I have always thought nursing would be another good fit for me, and I am heavily considering it. There are pros and cons to both, and since you are such a faithful group of 6 readers, I will share them with you. Grab a snack.
Education: I know I would rock as a teacher. The summers off would be prefect with kids. Florida is totally desprate for teachers. I have already done some of the coursework, but I don't really know how much of it will transfer. I will be in school for a long time and from what I can tell there aren't a ton of night classes offered in this area for education. What do I do with Grady for all those daytime classes? The pay ROCKS (right). The schools in this area are pretty ummm, well, not great, and I am afraid I would be very frustrated.
Nursing: I am sure I would be a kind and compassionate nurse too. I would want to work in pediatrics, and I know people will try to convince me not to do that. I could work up to it sowly, by starting at the community college level, and moving up. That would allow me to work while I go to school. No summers off and the shifts can be bad or good depending where you work. I know there are places I could work part time, 2-3 12 hour shifts and still be at home a lot. Hospitals usually have daycare for employees. I know there is a high level of burnout among nurses.
There are tons of other things going through my brain, but they're all jumbled and would end up looking like this
hsgaf akdfhue kasdhfupa kdf;fguad sajdhsagdf jshaf!!!
So I will spare you. Just working it out on cyberpaper!
Education: I know I would rock as a teacher. The summers off would be prefect with kids. Florida is totally desprate for teachers. I have already done some of the coursework, but I don't really know how much of it will transfer. I will be in school for a long time and from what I can tell there aren't a ton of night classes offered in this area for education. What do I do with Grady for all those daytime classes? The pay ROCKS (right). The schools in this area are pretty ummm, well, not great, and I am afraid I would be very frustrated.
Nursing: I am sure I would be a kind and compassionate nurse too. I would want to work in pediatrics, and I know people will try to convince me not to do that. I could work up to it sowly, by starting at the community college level, and moving up. That would allow me to work while I go to school. No summers off and the shifts can be bad or good depending where you work. I know there are places I could work part time, 2-3 12 hour shifts and still be at home a lot. Hospitals usually have daycare for employees. I know there is a high level of burnout among nurses.
There are tons of other things going through my brain, but they're all jumbled and would end up looking like this
hsgaf akdfhue kasdhfupa kdf;fguad sajdhsagdf jshaf!!!
So I will spare you. Just working it out on cyberpaper!
posted by Courtney at
11:23 AM
2 Comments:
Alright... here's my sage advice. One... I think that your personality is suited for either profession. I think that you have the compassion to be an EXCELLENT teacher - just stay in elementary... older kids can be brutal to teachers! Your compassion would be wonderful in nursing as well, but may also be a negative (this is also why there is a high burnout rate)... when you see people sick and hurting day in and day out it takes a toll. And, it's worse for a compassionate person! That's precisely why everyone would be correct in telling you not to do peds... even if you could handle seeing small children hurt or dying, I wouldn't want you to have to. Seeing that would really take a huge toll on you over time.
So... I say go nursing. Good hours (after your first few years in the 7p-7a shifts), great pay, and good benefits. Just don't do peds... at least not starting. At least take a look at all the things you can do -- it really is a wide open field - don't cut yourself off from anything. Also, HCA is huge down in Florida, and I know some people down there if you ever need a good word! Nursing wins on hours (except for that long break if you're not on an all year schedule in schools), wins, conquers, slaughters on pay, and nurses almost always get the resources they need to do their jobs right. It can be a very satisfying career, and I'm sure you'll be good at it!
By
Anonymous, at 9:58 PM
Here are two more possibilities: Stand-up comedy or writing. Seriously, you should consider writing for a while. You can do that from home and you are good at it. Find the right audience and someone who finds your daily "adventures" as entertaining as I do, and you're in! :)
By
Kelli, at 1:07 PM
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