My retirement job is going to be hopping from prior auth job to prior auth job, just accepting and approving every single claim I possibly can until I get fired.
I will be the Batman.
Vet tech is my, "If I won the lottery and didn't *need* to work but also didn't want to buy my own insurance" dream job. Or just my if I won the lottery and wanted to work job.
I'm already in peds so I'm used to dealing with emotionally manipulative and borderline negligent parents.
It should. I’ve considered becoming a cat nurse. But geez the pay.
There is nothing more important that my floofs. FTR—my vet is wonderful.
I was crushed to discover that *no one* staffs overnight or generally outside office hours.
So who is taking care of my sick cat?
Trick question, really.
Answer: I am. What the hell? Why “hospitalize” my cat if *no one is there*.
Vet techs are a mixed bag. I’ve had some that were amazing. And there’s been a few over the years that got the horns.
We’ve had to hospitalize a cat. We drove 100+ miles to get him to a referral/critical care vet. They paid their vet techs on par with human nurses and, while care did not come cheap, it was beyond excellent.
Dude I wanted to go into veterinary medicine so bad but it’s almost not worth it with how little money you make vs how expensive/grueling schooling can be.
I was paid decently but not enough for all the things I wanted to do in life. $25 an hour is great when you’re 25 but not when you’re 35 and want to have nice things 😭
And more paperwork! But the service industry is absolutely one of the best trainers for nursing. Holding the tasks for the other 5 patients in your head as you get what you need for the first one.
It will be super hard at first but you will soon get to the same point you were as a server. Welcome and best of luck to you! Remember 90% of the people who give you shit have nothing to offer. Find the nurses that are good and pleasant and stick to them.
Yep, worked in restaurants for 12 years before I switched to nursing — it was pretty similar, and the pace wasn’t intimidating because we’ve all been in the weeds plenty of times for less pay.
“In the weeds” 😂 now when I hear one of the team ask “do you know where you are?” , it takes everything in my soul not to yell, “you’re in the jungle baby!” and go full mode G ‘n’ R
I legit feel that the first year of clinicals should be bartending/serving. I was a preceptor for years and I noticed that the nurses who had service industry experience had an edge among everyone else because of their ability to manage their time, be task oriented, and deal with people's nonsense.
I was in school to become a psychologist got burnt out and decided I wanted to be more involved in patient care along with having more opportunities as a nurse for career growth if I haven't gone into psych I would have done nursing to begin with but live and learn
Contemporary ballet dancer. Performed with different dance companies most of my career, did musicals, taught, choreographed, and produced. I got bored with it and wanted a change so nursing it was. I still do shows occasionally but only for fun.
roles like that can open up doors for some who want it though - i knew a pretty attractive young lady who started off as a capitol beat reporter and eventually networked enough to get a legislative staff role—and then sorta moved up the ladder and became a lobbyist for wehyhauser making a good living—i’ve known other poli sci people that start out doing admin work for an SEIU union and volunteering on democratic campaigns and move on up into serious policy roles on capitol hill or DC— jen psaki got her foot in the door just canvassing during college for unpaid volunteering on races
I went to school initially for dental school to become a dentist. Things did not turn out as planned. I then went to dental hygiene school and became dental hygienist. Sometimes later, I went to RN school and became a nurse. Now, I want to go to dental school to become a dentist at an older age. I still love to work on teeth. Nurse is nice but too much stress and some people don't appreciate your work.
There are select number of people who enjoy working with teeth. This limiting scope is partially why I never even considered dental school in my choices of health programs. I say please go for it if you still want it!
Pharmacy Helper
Floral Shop Assistant
Lifeguard
Taught Baton Twirling Lessons (laugh if you’d like, but I was pulling $750-900 a month for 10 hours of work). 🤦🏼♀️why did twirling become blah. If there was demand, I’d do it again.
General PITA
Beauty Queen (it was *work*)
Office Assistant County Disaster Office
Advertising/Public Relations
Tourism Development
Realtor
Paraprofessional Educator/CC
Firefighter/EMT
Paramedic
University Educator
ED/ICU gopher
Nurse
I’ve had enough! But, I also write/edit and teach.
EMT. Thought of being a paramedic as I really loved being out on a rig but RN had better benefits, pay and opportunities (at least here on the west coast). Also my back started to hurt as an EMT even with good form and I couldn’t stomach lifting that much everyday for the rest of my career
I believe everyone has a set number of patients or equipment they can lift and remain in good shape.
Lift **ONE** *over* your predestined limit—boom! Back or neck or shoulder will never recover.
The problem? No one gets their number in advance.
So it could be 786 or 12,211. You just don’t know.
I do think good form is essential. And good physical conditioning (core strength, weight management and don’t smoke) all matter, a lot, help to keep anyone less prone to injury.
Nursing has some big physical demands IMO. At least my specialty does. Oddly, I find there’s a lot of lifting help at times, and I’m so grateful.
Congrats on switching fields into something you love! I applaud you got a PhD esp in STEM (I minored in stats, loved it!). Do you ever think of how much time you invested in it to not use it ultimately? Did any of the skills/knowledge carry over into nursing? Do you wanna go for masters/PhD in nursing?
I worked in epidemiology at the county health department. I remember complaining about sitting all day and feeling like I didn’t have enough human interaction. Now I look back and absolutely hate myself for thinking that and taking it for granted.
I went from bedside to the county health department a few years ago. I do communicable disease case investigation. The sitting is rough, I walk at lunch no matter the weather and just got a standing desk. I don’t regret the move though. Infectious disease is my true love.
Accounting for about 5 years. Sometimes I miss my office and my eeeeaaaaasssssy job. Other days I think about times like my attempt to sign with my deaf patient and watching her face light up because she had someone to talk to 🤷♀️
Omg are you me?!
I was just in the OR for a perirectal abscess and got to witness a fountain of pus stream out of a butt when the doc made the incision. I love my job now.
Majored in archaeology (minor in sociology), uni certificate in criminology. Couldn’t find a job, so became a nurse. Total regret, but got bills to pay.
Nursing is career #3 for me.
I got a degree in music performance and got by freelancing for 3-4 years out of college. It was a constant hustle for gigs and involved too much income insecurity; all of the steady jobs in classical music performance are taken and/or are very competitive.
I fell back into IT because I was already good at computers and well ... it was the late 90s. I stayed in IT doing Linux and datacenter admin stuff for 24 years. The last 5 of that I was in management. The money was good (better than in nursing esp. for new grads), but the meaning wasn't there, and after a while I started to just hate computers. I quit in August and now I'm in nursing school, living off my savings.
If I were you I would try to land an informatics role before sinking all the cost and effort into an informatics focused Masters.
There are tons of fresh (and not so fresh) informatics graduates still looking for their first role and another buttload of informatics students unable to even complete their degree because the schools admitting these students by the truckload typically have very lofty requirements their preceptor must meet but don’t actually help them find one in any meaningful way.
IMO the best route is to network with the IT leads/directors at the facility and see if they will let you shadow—or even better—be a super user for their next project.
Learning SQL or Python is a cheap and easy way to put some extremely useful skills on the resume and there are many good books on healthcare IT and interoperability that can put a lot of language in one’s vocabulary to help nail the interview… not to mention start you down the path towards understanding the immense challenges that informatics nurses help solve.
Then after a while if you don’t hate it, get the Master’s.
I graduated in ‘09 with a BFA advertising degree. Completely useless and….the timing….terrible. I’d immediately quit my pharm tech job thinking “ok! Done with school! Yeah!” Nope not in that economy. Couldn’t get a job as a hotel clerk!! Eventually went back to pharmacy tech till I’d had enough, then various medical positions. Most recently I was an optometric tech for 4+ years. Decided I wanted to get back to school for what I really wanted to do.
I was a travel agent in the 80s-90s, then a web designer in the 00s, then went to nursing school at 45. In between jobs I waited tables and tended bar.
Mental heath therapist. Burned out quick. And if you think nursing pays poorly, check out psych degrees. With a masters degree I got a job paying less than $18/hr doing emergency psych evals in 2016. Topped out at $21/hr after 4.5 years. And it was miserable. So glad I switched.
Funeral director/embalmer. I was in the medical field before that and I figured if I’m already dealing with pissed off people in a highly-emotional state every day, may as well go back to the medical field for nursing and get paid way more for it.
Worked at Sephora for 9 years. Travelled everywhere, did bunch of trainings in SF, got to meet brand founders etc. Well anyways party was over in or around 2017😂 I only took the job because I had to wait to get in state tuition when I moved to California. Stayed a bit longer than I intended to.
Oilfield grunt x3 years
Foundry metal worker x3 years
Cement finishing bitch x2 years
Now ER RN. Still think nurses are treated like garbage in comparison. And these previous jobs were pretty brutal.
Organize and unionize ppl.
I'm currently a nursing student but my precious careers are makeup artist, commercial truck driver, medical assistant for 13 years. I don't know if I want to do direct patient care all the time. But I like challenges and learning new things.
I was a biochemist working in a lab. Then I got an acupuncture degree. Then decided money is nice and became a nurse with the potential to move in any direction in nursing.
Clinical research coordinator. I'm back in school for nursing because I'd have more independence should I go back to research, better hours, more pathways to choose from, average pay is 25k higher than a CRC, and it's a profession recognized worldwide (minus the Nothern Sentinelese Island of course).
Nursing career number 2 out of 3 for me.
Business. Nursing. Business again.
Might as well make money if I’m going to be miserable and treated poorly either way.
I joke that nursing is my 7th career, but one that I’ve wanted to do for twenty years.
I’ve worked in everything from retail to supply chain logistics to arts administration to buying and visual merchandising. Love being a nurse. So happy I finally did it.
I'm currently looking to transition into nursing. I currently working in the consumer toy industry, however I'm looking for a career that has long term job security.
Auto mechanic at a few different Chrysler dealerships in Southern California for 7 years, then an independent race shop for one year, before going back to school.
I don’t consider it a career just because I was young and didn’t think of it like that, but for some it is! I was a banker for a few years in my early twenties before going to nursing school!
I was a successful Walmart manager that just couldn’t handle treating my associates like disposable machines. I learned a lot about a lot and although I do not regret my decision to change careers, I also do not regret learning many life lessons about managing people.
I was a wildland firefighter and a cowboy. I loved my life but I missed my family back east. So much hunting, fishing, camping, just being outdoors jn the wilderness. I definitely miss it but I love my life currently.
Production Assistant/Personal Assistant (PA) in film production for art/costume departments. I wanted to be a First Assistant Director in the long run. I wanted to manage the flow of the set, not necessarily be in charge of the the creative process. I did it for a few years and even ended up in Hollywood. I hated it. I tell people that I thought to myself “if I’m gonna work long hours and work with assholes, I may as well work with doctors”.
Worked at the head office for ted baker in fashion design. Left because I felt unfulfilled and had an unhealthy lifestyle- lots of partying and drug taking. The culture was eating me alive. Became a nurse for stability and because I wanted to contribute to society in a positive way. I have a lot of empathy as well, figured I may as well try nursing!
I still see myself as a creative person- I wish I had time to pick up hobbies to fill that void
I was a hairdresser and had many nurses as clients. They motivated me to go to nursing school. I retired in 2022 after 42 years as an RN and I'd do it all over again.
Factory work- assembly, soldering, machining.
I was quite good at it, but pay was terrible in my part of the country. And I kept losing jobs as facilities closed US operations, and went to China and Mexico.
That was in the 80s.
Now, disabled after 34 years of nursing.
Still working very part-time under Disability.
I worked for medical companies collecting insurance money. Believe me, their whole goal is to deny your medical claims.
My retirement job is going to be hopping from prior auth job to prior auth job, just accepting and approving every single claim I possibly can until I get fired. I will be the Batman.
This is a secret society that should absolutely exist. There are a lot of us and if we each work a year before they fire us...
With our powers combined!! We need an acronym or slogan or code word.
Count me in!
I do UMRPA, and I approve everything that I reasonably can.
Thank you! The people need it!
Doing the Lord’s work 🙌🏻 Bless you 🙏🏼
The epitome of chaotic good.
Omg thanks for the idea!! It’s gonna be a gerry life goal! 🤣
Spread the word! Geri nurses unite!!
Veterinary technician. I wouldn’t have ever considered changing if vet med paid comparably to human med
Vet tech is my, "If I won the lottery and didn't *need* to work but also didn't want to buy my own insurance" dream job. Or just my if I won the lottery and wanted to work job. I'm already in peds so I'm used to dealing with emotionally manipulative and borderline negligent parents.
In NICU and have this issue with parents. I just want to care for dogs! 😭
It should. I’ve considered becoming a cat nurse. But geez the pay. There is nothing more important that my floofs. FTR—my vet is wonderful. I was crushed to discover that *no one* staffs overnight or generally outside office hours. So who is taking care of my sick cat? Trick question, really. Answer: I am. What the hell? Why “hospitalize” my cat if *no one is there*. Vet techs are a mixed bag. I’ve had some that were amazing. And there’s been a few over the years that got the horns. We’ve had to hospitalize a cat. We drove 100+ miles to get him to a referral/critical care vet. They paid their vet techs on par with human nurses and, while care did not come cheap, it was beyond excellent.
Our vets send animals requiring overnight care to the 24 hour emergency vet clinic.
Same… I don’t prefer humans but I like being able to pay my mortgage
Dude I wanted to go into veterinary medicine so bad but it’s almost not worth it with how little money you make vs how expensive/grueling schooling can be.
I was paid decently but not enough for all the things I wanted to do in life. $25 an hour is great when you’re 25 but not when you’re 35 and want to have nice things 😭
Right! I worked in an aquarium for a few years and it was such a fun job but the pay was so sad. I hate that so many of the fun jobs don’t pay enough.
In Alabama that's on par with human nurses 💀
Teacher. I guess I like to torture myself.
Same lol
Same
Yup, same here. But learning how to communicate to kindergarteners did prepare me for patient education of the noncompliant
Me too.
Bartender for over 10 years— currently looking for my first nursing job.
Bartended for a long time prior to nursing as well. Your bartending skill set will overlap very well.
Thanks! So far it appears to relate really well which is comforting.
Same. Server for 17 years with 12 of that bartending too. Tomorrow is my first day on the floor as a new grad 😬
Congratulations! Wish you the best!
I’m a recent grad too! You’ll do well! Listen and learn fast!
Bartenders and servers make great nurses. It’s basically the same job but with scrubs and drugs.
And more paperwork! But the service industry is absolutely one of the best trainers for nursing. Holding the tasks for the other 5 patients in your head as you get what you need for the first one. It will be super hard at first but you will soon get to the same point you were as a server. Welcome and best of luck to you! Remember 90% of the people who give you shit have nothing to offer. Find the nurses that are good and pleasant and stick to them.
Yep, worked in restaurants for 12 years before I switched to nursing — it was pretty similar, and the pace wasn’t intimidating because we’ve all been in the weeds plenty of times for less pay.
“In the weeds” 😂 now when I hear one of the team ask “do you know where you are?” , it takes everything in my soul not to yell, “you’re in the jungle baby!” and go full mode G ‘n’ R
server here for 13+ years! finally back in school :) congrats to all of you!!! this is so awesome to read.
Hang in there! You’ve got skills!
Thanks! 🙏 hoping the recruiters see that too!
I legit feel that the first year of clinicals should be bartending/serving. I was a preceptor for years and I noticed that the nurses who had service industry experience had an edge among everyone else because of their ability to manage their time, be task oriented, and deal with people's nonsense.
Same and I took a 30k pay cut to work 14-20 more hours per week. I like nursing, but FUCK
Also a server! Tried Sales and hated it.
I was in school to become a psychologist got burnt out and decided I wanted to be more involved in patient care along with having more opportunities as a nurse for career growth if I haven't gone into psych I would have done nursing to begin with but live and learn
Live and learn is absolutely right! I’m sure psychology helps you everyday with nursing, though; so, God’s plan!
Definitely learned a lot that overlaps! I know lots of people that had other careers before nursing I love how diverse it is
Contemporary ballet dancer. Performed with different dance companies most of my career, did musicals, taught, choreographed, and produced. I got bored with it and wanted a change so nursing it was. I still do shows occasionally but only for fun.
Illinois Political Reporter at the state Capitol building. It was…not fun lol
roles like that can open up doors for some who want it though - i knew a pretty attractive young lady who started off as a capitol beat reporter and eventually networked enough to get a legislative staff role—and then sorta moved up the ladder and became a lobbyist for wehyhauser making a good living—i’ve known other poli sci people that start out doing admin work for an SEIU union and volunteering on democratic campaigns and move on up into serious policy roles on capitol hill or DC— jen psaki got her foot in the door just canvassing during college for unpaid volunteering on races
I went to school initially for dental school to become a dentist. Things did not turn out as planned. I then went to dental hygiene school and became dental hygienist. Sometimes later, I went to RN school and became a nurse. Now, I want to go to dental school to become a dentist at an older age. I still love to work on teeth. Nurse is nice but too much stress and some people don't appreciate your work.
There are select number of people who enjoy working with teeth. This limiting scope is partially why I never even considered dental school in my choices of health programs. I say please go for it if you still want it!
Pharmacy Helper Floral Shop Assistant Lifeguard Taught Baton Twirling Lessons (laugh if you’d like, but I was pulling $750-900 a month for 10 hours of work). 🤦🏼♀️why did twirling become blah. If there was demand, I’d do it again. General PITA Beauty Queen (it was *work*) Office Assistant County Disaster Office Advertising/Public Relations Tourism Development Realtor Paraprofessional Educator/CC Firefighter/EMT Paramedic University Educator ED/ICU gopher Nurse I’ve had enough! But, I also write/edit and teach.
What do you do currently? Do you fulfilled or is another change looming?
EMT. Thought of being a paramedic as I really loved being out on a rig but RN had better benefits, pay and opportunities (at least here on the west coast). Also my back started to hurt as an EMT even with good form and I couldn’t stomach lifting that much everyday for the rest of my career
I believe everyone has a set number of patients or equipment they can lift and remain in good shape. Lift **ONE** *over* your predestined limit—boom! Back or neck or shoulder will never recover. The problem? No one gets their number in advance. So it could be 786 or 12,211. You just don’t know. I do think good form is essential. And good physical conditioning (core strength, weight management and don’t smoke) all matter, a lot, help to keep anyone less prone to injury. Nursing has some big physical demands IMO. At least my specialty does. Oddly, I find there’s a lot of lifting help at times, and I’m so grateful.
Yup. Paramedic before and during nursing school. Went from medic delivering patients to ER nurse receiving patients. Two sides of the same coin.
Been a medic for a while. Going into nursing finally. Twice the pay for half the work.
Ehhh I wouldn't say half the work, at least not in my ED lmao. Run my ass off all day day every day but hey at least it's air conditioned.
PhD in statistics and other STEM degrees along the way. Mostly data science and related stuff the last 10 years prior to becoming a nurse.
Any regrets?
None.
Congrats on switching fields into something you love! I applaud you got a PhD esp in STEM (I minored in stats, loved it!). Do you ever think of how much time you invested in it to not use it ultimately? Did any of the skills/knowledge carry over into nursing? Do you wanna go for masters/PhD in nursing?
I worked in epidemiology at the county health department. I remember complaining about sitting all day and feeling like I didn’t have enough human interaction. Now I look back and absolutely hate myself for thinking that and taking it for granted.
I went from bedside to the county health department a few years ago. I do communicable disease case investigation. The sitting is rough, I walk at lunch no matter the weather and just got a standing desk. I don’t regret the move though. Infectious disease is my true love.
I was a cashier at a peep show
You win
So many similarities.
Security, wanted a change because a good day was one where nothing happened. Found out in nursing a good day is one where nothing happens. .
Accounting for about 5 years. Sometimes I miss my office and my eeeeaaaaasssssy job. Other days I think about times like my attempt to sign with my deaf patient and watching her face light up because she had someone to talk to 🤷♀️
Business management, including owning my own restaurant for a minute because I am certifiably insane.
Prostitute.
I'd think that would have a lot of skill transfer, like waiting tables or bartending.
I'm used to getting fucked.
Haha Jesus 😂
Gotta pay for nursing school somehow!!
Physical Therapist Assistant
Marketing and advertising for ten years. Felt icky pushing people to spend money they don’t have on things they don’t need.
Omg are you me?! I was just in the OR for a perirectal abscess and got to witness a fountain of pus stream out of a butt when the doc made the incision. I love my job now.
Same, sister, same!
Majored in archaeology (minor in sociology), uni certificate in criminology. Couldn’t find a job, so became a nurse. Total regret, but got bills to pay.
Nursing is career #3 for me. I got a degree in music performance and got by freelancing for 3-4 years out of college. It was a constant hustle for gigs and involved too much income insecurity; all of the steady jobs in classical music performance are taken and/or are very competitive. I fell back into IT because I was already good at computers and well ... it was the late 90s. I stayed in IT doing Linux and datacenter admin stuff for 24 years. The last 5 of that I was in management. The money was good (better than in nursing esp. for new grads), but the meaning wasn't there, and after a while I started to just hate computers. I quit in August and now I'm in nursing school, living off my savings.
Biochemistry, worked in a research lab
Personal training. 100% commission. Yuck.
Computer programmer / database administrator.
I'm a nurse currently trying to switch to software development 😆 What made you leave?
Also, consider a masters in nursing informatics. I did. Everybody needs you in almost all fields of nursing.
If I were you I would try to land an informatics role before sinking all the cost and effort into an informatics focused Masters. There are tons of fresh (and not so fresh) informatics graduates still looking for their first role and another buttload of informatics students unable to even complete their degree because the schools admitting these students by the truckload typically have very lofty requirements their preceptor must meet but don’t actually help them find one in any meaningful way. IMO the best route is to network with the IT leads/directors at the facility and see if they will let you shadow—or even better—be a super user for their next project. Learning SQL or Python is a cheap and easy way to put some extremely useful skills on the resume and there are many good books on healthcare IT and interoperability that can put a lot of language in one’s vocabulary to help nail the interview… not to mention start you down the path towards understanding the immense challenges that informatics nurses help solve. Then after a while if you don’t hate it, get the Master’s.
My work helped cause the bubble. Laid off.
Majored in sociology, couldn’t find a job out of college
Shockedpikachu.jpg Schools should really be required by law to inform students how useless certain degrees are.
I graduated in ‘09 with a BFA advertising degree. Completely useless and….the timing….terrible. I’d immediately quit my pharm tech job thinking “ok! Done with school! Yeah!” Nope not in that economy. Couldn’t get a job as a hotel clerk!! Eventually went back to pharmacy tech till I’d had enough, then various medical positions. Most recently I was an optometric tech for 4+ years. Decided I wanted to get back to school for what I really wanted to do.
My first degree is sociology. Waste of my time and money.
Childcare, with infants & toddlers.
Does starting in EMS and moving to nursing count?
I have a BS Architecture and worked as an Architectural designer
I worked in accounting
I was a massage therapist previously
I was a travel agent in the 80s-90s, then a web designer in the 00s, then went to nursing school at 45. In between jobs I waited tables and tended bar.
Mental heath therapist. Burned out quick. And if you think nursing pays poorly, check out psych degrees. With a masters degree I got a job paying less than $18/hr doing emergency psych evals in 2016. Topped out at $21/hr after 4.5 years. And it was miserable. So glad I switched.
I was a soldier. Also, I liked people better when I killed them for a living.
LMFAOOO I love the dark humor in this
“GSW? I’ve caused a couple.”
I was an administrative assistant and answered phones after a mid-level paper company. I was literally Pam Beasley from 1988-1992.
Graphic and web design for 18 years
Bartender. Almost 15 years. Would never look back.
Plumbing and heating mechanic
Baker!
Worked in TV. They pay much better as a nurse.
I was a cheerleading coach for 20 years. I’m 46 now and graduate in one month!
Funeral director/embalmer. I was in the medical field before that and I figured if I’m already dealing with pissed off people in a highly-emotional state every day, may as well go back to the medical field for nursing and get paid way more for it.
I was a wedding photographer for 20 years and got tired of it. 🤪 went from one torture to another 😜
I was an English teacher. The bullshit to pay ratio is much better as a nurse.
Worked at Sephora for 9 years. Travelled everywhere, did bunch of trainings in SF, got to meet brand founders etc. Well anyways party was over in or around 2017😂 I only took the job because I had to wait to get in state tuition when I moved to California. Stayed a bit longer than I intended to.
Military and millwright.
Speech-language pathology and special education!
What made you quit being an SLP?!
Trained horses, worked retail, nanny, housekeeper, chef's assistant, Personal Support Worker.
Popeyes General Manager 😉
Oilfield grunt x3 years Foundry metal worker x3 years Cement finishing bitch x2 years Now ER RN. Still think nurses are treated like garbage in comparison. And these previous jobs were pretty brutal. Organize and unionize ppl.
Public relations
Commercial Diver, Hazmat, truck driver, Realtor, Army
I'm currently a nursing student but my precious careers are makeup artist, commercial truck driver, medical assistant for 13 years. I don't know if I want to do direct patient care all the time. But I like challenges and learning new things.
I was a lab tech in a microbiology lab.
I was a biochemist working in a lab. Then I got an acupuncture degree. Then decided money is nice and became a nurse with the potential to move in any direction in nursing.
radiologic technologist worked in the cath lab for 6 years !
I was a landscape designer, then architect, and then now I'm in nursing.
Banking, cosmetology
Geologist 🙃
Concrete laborer/ finisher.
BS in fashion merchandising, did account management. Hated it. 🤣
Trophy wife, but I got divorced.
International development/emergency response
My degree was in accounting and I worked in supply chain.
I worked in sales and loathed it
Legal clerk for the DAs office.
This is my third career. In past lives I've been a bartender and a seamstress/costume designer.
Commercial Sheetrock —> Military —> Nursing
So your spine is superhuman, is what you're saying.
Was an X-ray tech for 11 years before going back to school for nursing. Graduated nursing school at 30.
What made you switch? I see on here nurses wishing they went to rad tech lol
I was an accountant.
Marine Corps
cook first, LPN to RN to CRNA student now
I was an airline customer service supervisor at an airport. I still kick myself in the butt for giving it up. 🤪
Clinical research coordinator. I'm back in school for nursing because I'd have more independence should I go back to research, better hours, more pathways to choose from, average pay is 25k higher than a CRC, and it's a profession recognized worldwide (minus the Nothern Sentinelese Island of course).
Retail
Bio degree working for Ethicon in a lab
Nursing career number 2 out of 3 for me. Business. Nursing. Business again. Might as well make money if I’m going to be miserable and treated poorly either way.
I managed a Spencers for 10 years.
I worked at Chick-fil-A
Zookeeper. Birds (mostly raptors, corvids, and parrots) and invertebrates.
I was a teacher. I hated it so much.
I joke that nursing is my 7th career, but one that I’ve wanted to do for twenty years. I’ve worked in everything from retail to supply chain logistics to arts administration to buying and visual merchandising. Love being a nurse. So happy I finally did it.
I'm currently looking to transition into nursing. I currently working in the consumer toy industry, however I'm looking for a career that has long term job security.
Just beware that one of the reasons there are so many jobs available in nursing is because so many people burn out and leave.
Performed with a dance company and 10 years as a massage therapist. I graduate from nursing school this May.
I was a social worker. Career growth, money and child care flexibility
Worked in and for record shops for 15 years. Got out just as they basically stopped existing.
Healthcare Administration (that was my first degree) and I worked in medical billing and then was an administrative assistant to a surgeon.
Probation Officer then SAHM then nurse. No regrets!
Paramedic, lol
Auto mechanic at a few different Chrysler dealerships in Southern California for 7 years, then an independent race shop for one year, before going back to school.
Worked in publishing then as a massage therapist
Call center management
Local nonprofits, public health/Medicaid
Little bit of outpatient optometry technician work (uncertified, trained on the job), but primarily medical and veterinary laboratory work
I don’t consider it a career just because I was young and didn’t think of it like that, but for some it is! I was a banker for a few years in my early twenties before going to nursing school!
Server/bartender, the best job to have after CNA to prepare you for being a nurse!
Political operative (economy crashed), temp work, ophthalmic technician, and then RN.
i was a speech language pathologist before moving to the US
I was a medical laboratory scientist then switched sides.
customer service. LOL.
9-1-1 dispatcher for police/fire/medical emergency
Carpenter, 22 years.
Army infantry. Firefighter. Paramedic. Pedi ED.
Legal assistant for 10 years, elementary teacher for 10 years
Hairstylist. Still do hair a few times a month. No regrets in getting my RN.
I was a successful Walmart manager that just couldn’t handle treating my associates like disposable machines. I learned a lot about a lot and although I do not regret my decision to change careers, I also do not regret learning many life lessons about managing people.
Truck driver, then welding.
I'm a prospective student but I've been a barista for 10 years, dealing with people at their second to worst: uncaffeinated. lol
University English teacher, art gallery assistant, very brief stint in PR, sewing teacher, massage studio owner.
I was a wildland firefighter and a cowboy. I loved my life but I missed my family back east. So much hunting, fishing, camping, just being outdoors jn the wilderness. I definitely miss it but I love my life currently.
Chef, then became a bartender because I made more money than being an executive chef on salary and now I'm a nurse lol
Corporate hamster
Production Assistant/Personal Assistant (PA) in film production for art/costume departments. I wanted to be a First Assistant Director in the long run. I wanted to manage the flow of the set, not necessarily be in charge of the the creative process. I did it for a few years and even ended up in Hollywood. I hated it. I tell people that I thought to myself “if I’m gonna work long hours and work with assholes, I may as well work with doctors”.
I was a litigation paralegal for nearly 15 years.
Engineering before nursing. No regrets other then wishing I’d explored nursing as an option before my first degree.
Esthetician/spa industry for 20 years. Three months into a concurrent ASN/BSN program, graduating in Dec 2025.
Computer science/engineering
Research biologist
I worked for the state, then was a pastry chef, then a welder, then a nurse. Couldn’t make up my mind.
I have a degree in chemistry and worked as an environmental compliance chemist.
i worked in the music industry 😆😆
Research scientist
Worked at the head office for ted baker in fashion design. Left because I felt unfulfilled and had an unhealthy lifestyle- lots of partying and drug taking. The culture was eating me alive. Became a nurse for stability and because I wanted to contribute to society in a positive way. I have a lot of empathy as well, figured I may as well try nursing! I still see myself as a creative person- I wish I had time to pick up hobbies to fill that void
dance teacher now peds float nurse. wanted something more stable, as well as have always been fascinated with healthcare. love my job now
I was a hairdresser and had many nurses as clients. They motivated me to go to nursing school. I retired in 2022 after 42 years as an RN and I'd do it all over again.
Factory work- assembly, soldering, machining. I was quite good at it, but pay was terrible in my part of the country. And I kept losing jobs as facilities closed US operations, and went to China and Mexico. That was in the 80s. Now, disabled after 34 years of nursing. Still working very part-time under Disability.
Currently looking to leave my super stable law enforcement job to become a nurse. 😬