Distracted

If anyone follows me on this blog, don't worry, I'm still alive. The last two weeks have been phenominally hectic. Why? Because I've decided to go back to school. Here's the story.

Just before Christmas break I had a discussion with a colleague about how much I love my job as a Career Education Coordinator and that I hoped I could find something like it when we move to our next base, which should be this summer. I began looking at the different bases that would be a possibility for us and found very few job openings in school districts, or any other field for that matter. It was a stark reminder of how unaffected ND has been in these tough economic times compared to other states. It got me thinking.

When I married Scott I knew I would be giving up a career to some degree. I've somewhat enjoyed being a jack of all trades these past six years. I've met a lot of great people and experienced a lot of great things. I've grown tremendously, in part because of all the different jobs I've had. But I find that less appealing as I get older. One reason is because I'm always having to "break into" new fields and/or new companies, therefore starting at the bottom of the totem pole, with the bottom salary. Money isn't everything, but it would be nice to make in one year what it cost to put me through college. That's all I'm gonna say about that. I also found that to work in the field of Career Counseling outside of ND, most places require a counseling degree or a teaching degree. I don't necessarily desire to be a teacher of a particular subject, nor do I desire to be a school or clinical counselor. Therefore, I don't think it would be worth my time and money to get either of those degrees.

I really began to analyze what I loved most about my job and how I might be able to carry that with me when we move. I decided I truly love people. I love learning about them, where they've come from, how they got where they are, who helped them along the way, what makes them tick, where they're headed, how they plan to get there, etc. I love to help people. That doesn't exactly narrow down a career path, but something just clicked...nursing. It totally fits. Here's why:

1. It's a mobile career. No matter where we move to with the Air Force I can be a nurse.

2. There is high demand. A shortage in nursing nationwide hopefully will mean less time spent job hunting.

3. It's a diverse career. I can be a nurse in a hospital, clinic, school, nursing home, etc.

4. It can be a "building block". In other words, I can move into other areas later on, such as management, teaching, administration, etc.

5. Most importantly, nursing is a career that will allow me to help others, physically and emotionally. I won't just be nursing patients, but their worried families too. Awesome!

I spent Christmas break researching all of this, as well as schools and programs I could apply to. I had lunch with nurse friends, phone conversations with family, and many long discussions with Scott. They were all so supportive and encouraging. I was the one who was most hesitant. Once I problem solved all the potential road blocks in my mind there was no turning back. I enrolled in a prerequisite course and will be applying to nursing school for the fall session. It's all happened so fast! All this to explain why I have not blogged in two weeks. Class has begun and I am learning how to manage cooking, cleaning, working, studying, lectures, blasted P90X workouts, a sliver of socialization, and blogging. Thankfully, Scott has really stepped up at home. Homeboy does a mean load of laundry! And his vacuuming is top notch.

So I'm a student once more. I can't tell you how different it is this time around. Better. Much better. I'll elaborate on that another time. For now, I'm off to study. Oh! The class I'm taking now? Bring it!