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[quote=Anonymous]OP - Do you have your BSN? Is it too far fetched to think that after I get a BSN I can be an NP or will I definitely be too old by that point?

[quote=Anonymous]Not too old at all.  One of my friends just did it and finished last year.  She's 43 and has 4 kids.

That said, I think you need to go in with your eyes open.  People on this site seem to have an inflated sense both of the job and what nurses make.  Most nursing jobs are not glamorous and they're not particularly intellectually stimulating.  You basically spend your days following the orders of other people (physicians) who may or may not be competent.  You'll start out making $55K and in 10 years you'll probably probably be making $80K.  People on here always talk about their "neighbor's sister's cousin" who makes "$150K as a hospital nurse" but that isn't happening in real life unless you're 1) working 70 hours a week which is almost physically impossible in nursing 2) working in California where nurses are unionized and literally make twice what they do anywhere else or 3) working as a CRNA.  Speaking of that, everyone on DCUM talks about becoming a CRNA, mainly for the salary.  Sure, it pays the most of any specialty in nursing.  But in many ways it isn't even nursing anymore.  You spend your days in OR or procedure rooms with patients who are asleep.  And the world only needs so many.  There schooling is expensive and intense and 99% of actual nurses would have no interest in actually becoming one.  It's like saying to all new lawyer grads "you should work in Big law, you can make a ton of money!".  Sure, some can but most don't want to--they have no interest in the material, they have no interest in the lifestyle, etc.

That all said, I've been a nurse for almost 20 years and am now early 40's with 3 kids.  I love what I do.  I love the flexibility and the variety of things I've done during my career.  What other career lets you change specialties and or jobs within your field every few years and never makes you retrain?  You get bored in nursing, you move on.  It's been great.  I love the interactions with patients and I love patient education.  I'm not in it for the money or the power (you'll get very little of the former and pretty much none of the later).  But it's a great job for the right person.  [/quote][/quote]

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