Old and Wanting to Change Careers

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jenwha

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Hello,

I am old and want to change careers. I have a BA in English/European Studies. I actually make a fabulous salary in procurement and have been in Logistics/Supply Chain since 1998.

I am very unhappy at my job due to
  1. Crybaby union workers (one example is a union employee calling the union and a lawyer due to his not getting the week of vacation he wants) Waaaah. I work in a union that is very run by the union workers and salary cow tow to them and don’t hold them accountable.
  2. Greed and slippery ethics
  3. Complete lack of (spiritual) fulfillment in my work.
Always wanted to try nursing, but I do know the bs of Corporate America goes on everywhere, but thought this might be a more rewarding career, as it would/could benefit on a daily basis sick people. I find my current job to be very high pay but spiritually extremely bereft. I love learning and going to school and I have the funds to pay for it.

So a mini poll:

Since I’ve never been 40 before and consider it quite old, do you think 40 is too old to go back to school and pursue something else?

I want to trust God and not my paycheck so much. I want something that is more spiritually rewarding.

🤷
 
40 is not too old. You should definitely look into this. Nursing can be rewarding but there is the stress of caring for the patients. Depending on what type of facility you want to be in might change your plans. Do you want to be in a large hospital, nursing home or private practice situation?

Just a suggestion: call around to some local facilities and ask if you can speak to someone in Human Resources. Ask about their requirements and mention your age. Try online or call your local library’s Adult Reference desk. Ask if they can provide the names of a few accredited nursing schools nearby. Call and find out what you need to do.

I worked in a large hospital for nearly 10 years. The LPNs and RNs were very good at what they did. As I understand it, for RNs at least, as new equipment is purchased and new patient care methods are introduced, they have to go back to school for relatively short training courses, but I can’t recall how often.

As long as you want God to be a part of this, your odds are very good.

Peace and God Bless,
Ed
 
jenwha said:
Hello,

I am old and want to change careers. I have a BA in English/European Studies. I actually make a fabulous salary in procurement and have been in Logistics/Supply Chain since 1998.

I am very unhappy at my job due to
  1. Crybaby union workers (one example is a union employee calling the union and a lawyer due to his not getting the week of vacation he wants) Waaaah. I work in a union that is very run by the union workers and salary cow tow to them and don’t hold them accountable.
  2. Greed and slippery ethics
  3. Complete lack of (spiritual) fulfillment in my work.
Always wanted to try nursing, but I do know the bs of Corporate America goes on everywhere, but thought this might be a more rewarding career, as it would/could benefit on a daily basis sick people. I find my current job to be very high pay but spiritually extremely bereft. I love learning and going to school and I have the funds to pay for it.

So a mini poll:

Since I’ve never been 40 before and consider it quite old, do you think 40 is too old to go back to school and pursue something else?

I want to trust God and not my paycheck so much. I want something that is more spiritually rewarding.

🤷
Click to expand...
I don’t know how long it might take you to get retrained…but regardless…in 5 years you will be 45… you can’t change that…
All you can do is to try to be where you want to be…
So - Go for it…

Peace
James
 
I am 49 this month and am starting a second volunteer effort as a catechist. I did this a few years ago when my kids were in religious education. I hope to retire from a desk job in about eight years and want to do some work with our church and community. I find helping people really understand the importance of eternal life to be fulfilling. I hope something works out.

For you, I wanted to second an earlier comment, the age of 40 is great for changing a career.
 
jenwha said:
Hello,

I am old and want to change careers. I have a BA in English/European Studies. I actually make a fabulous salary in procurement and have been in Logistics/Supply Chain since 1998.

I am very unhappy at my job due to
  1. Crybaby union workers (one example is a union employee calling the union and a lawyer due to his not getting the week of vacation he wants) Waaaah. I work in a union that is very run by the union workers and salary cow tow to them and don’t hold them accountable.
  2. Greed and slippery ethics
  3. Complete lack of (spiritual) fulfillment in my work.
Always wanted to try nursing, but I do know the bs of Corporate America goes on everywhere, but thought this might be a more rewarding career, as it would/could benefit on a daily basis sick people. I find my current job to be very high pay but spiritually extremely bereft. I love learning and going to school and I have the funds to pay for it.

So a mini poll:

Since I’ve never been 40 before and consider it quite old, do you think 40 is too old to go back to school and pursue something else?

I want to trust God and not my paycheck so much. I want something that is more spiritually rewarding.

🤷
Click to expand...
I worked as a manager/salesman, radio and real estate, for almost 20 years. When I was 53 years old, I went to Emergency Medical Technician school. Since then, I have worked on an ambulance. A year ago I started paramedic school, and graduated this July. I will be taking the state test soon. I am 57. I’d say you’re not too old to change careers. 😉
 
40 used to be REAL old. Then it was just old. Then it was a perfectly fine adult age. Now it’s young. Amazing how one’s perception changes over the years!

I’m 53, and am halfway through getting an accounting degree. I expect to work until I’m 75. I know there are a lot more like me. My only worry is that I might not be hired because some youngster in their 30’s or 40’s might not hire me because they’ll think I’m too old!

Oh well. You pray, then you make your decision, then you place your trust in God that He’ll place you where he wants you.
 
My Dad was 36 when he quit his (well paying) job, packed up his wife and five kids and moved half way across the state to attend law school. He was one of the oldest in the class, and graduated cum laude three years later. He had a VERY sucessful career in the District Attorney Office in one the largest counties on the west coast. You are never too old to do anything you really want to. As Dear Abby would say, “How old would you be if you did not go to nursing school?” (Or maybe Ann Landers said that?) :cool:
 
I went back to nursing school to be an R.N. at 47. I stopped at LPN (because of no experience and changes in my home environment). I’ve been working as an LPN and am 50…I still plan to become an RN…so you tell me, are you too old? 🙂
 
I love this thread I am 36 and looking into nursing myself and weighing my options.

Love 2 be catholic, can you explain the difference between RN and LPN? Is it the same as a nurses aid? What kind of facility do you work in. I would like to work in a hospital on a floor, I can’t seem to find out how hard it is to get a job in a hospital versus a nursing home.
 
To answer your question Petitfleur,

The LPN works under an RN and it is not the same as a nurses’s aid. An aid has a lot less responsibilities than an LPN and the pay reflects this.

The RN handles what is referred to as a “nurse diagnosis” (which an LPN cannot do) and the LPN works with the RN in carrying out the cares involved relating to the diagnosis. A “nurse diagnosis” is always based on the needs of the recovering patient and is not related to a doctors diagnosis. In the state I live in, there are not a lot of hospitals that still have LPNs working there. LPNs typically are found in nursing homes and clinics and some in hospitals. There are very few things that an LPN cannot due (compared to the RN) but the RN is head over what the LPN does. Having said that, an LPN can work in many capacities without the RNs involvement. For instance, part of the work I do is at a jail. At the jail, I assess a patient (determine what their complaint is and gather information related to it) and then I call the jail doctor to get the diagnosis (since the doctor is not there). A nursing home (as I’ve been told) for an LPN would be passing medications and giving treatments to the patient. In some places, it is only giving treatments.

I hope I haven’t managed to confuse you, but feel free to message me if you’d like to know more.
🙂
 
Thank you so much for all the replies and especially all the fellow old people. I have no idea at all how I have managed to get to this age. It kinda snuck up on me.

I have contacted my local community college and have made plans to get transcripts and start pre req classes. I figured a good way to start would be to take one or two pre req classes and that will tell me if I can still handle college work or not. All I would be out if not is 800 bucks or so.

God bless you old folks who have managed to move different directions in the 40’s and 50’s. I had no last clue what I wanted to do at 22.

I hate the physical affects of getting older but I love the mental part. 😃
 
jenwha said:
Hello,

I am old and want to change careers. I have a BA in English/European Studies. I actually make a fabulous salary in procurement and have been in Logistics/Supply Chain since 1998.

I am very unhappy at my job due to
  1. Crybaby union workers (one example is a union employee calling the union and a lawyer due to his not getting the week of vacation he wants) Waaaah. I work in a union that is very run by the union workers and salary cow tow to them and don’t hold them accountable.
  2. Greed and slippery ethics
  3. Complete lack of (spiritual) fulfillment in my work.
Always wanted to try nursing, but I do know the bs of Corporate America goes on everywhere, but thought this might be a more rewarding career, as it would/could benefit on a daily basis sick people. I find my current job to be very high pay but spiritually extremely bereft. I love learning and going to school and I have the funds to pay for it.

So a mini poll:

Since I’ve never been 40 before and consider it quite old, do you think 40 is too old to go back to school and pursue something else?

I want to trust God and not my paycheck so much. I want something that is more spiritually rewarding.

🤷
Click to expand...
I’m 45 and am considering a change in careers. I work as a rehab specialist for the mentally ill. I find it spiritually very rewarding. Unfortunately my job is tied tightly to gov’t so there is a ton of useless and unnecessary paperwork, I’d say about 60% of the job, should be like 10-15% and would be if I worked for a private charity.

My desire to change careers is that my salary is too low and I am married and now have a baby. My income is not enough to support my family. I dont’ have the funds to go back to school, or the time, and don’t know if I’d be able to adjust to being a student at my age. I need to increase my income in order to be a provider for my family.

I deal with nurses off and on as part of my job. I think they get to spend a lot of time dealing directly with patients, less paperwork than I have to do. There is great demand for nurses as well and a wide variety of job choices in the different types of populations of patients you could work with (my baby was born premature and spent the first month of his born life in an infant ICU. The nurses were fantastic. The atmosphere was great and I was extremely greatful for the care they provided for my baby. Most were great and devoted to their jobs with happy dispositions. Some were there for a paycheck, doing their job, not particularly devoted to their work. I’m guessing from what you posted you will get great satisfaction in caring for others as I do.

If I do change careers I will still very likely do something similar to what I do now, albeit part time or something like that. I do NOT wish to be an administrator in the field in which I work, it would provide higher pay but I would loose the rewards of working directly with people.

The conclusion I have drawn is that sometimes we must make big changes in life for various reasons. I must prioritize being able to provide for my son. Me and my wife went to an infertility doctor for 2 1/2 years trying to get pregant unsuccessfully. Eventually I assumed it would be impossible for us to get pregant. Then the miricle happened.

Not sure what I am going to do but I can’t keep doing the same job as I am now for the next 20 years due to family resonsibilities. I don’t think I can be happy struggling to pay the bills, paying rent late every month, etc. No chance to provide my son with private education, or save for college, or provide him with after school lessons and such that cost money. I am eeeking by at this point and this can not continue.

But working helping those that are in need is an extremely rewarding feeling. I would suggest that maybe you figure out a way to sort of ‘test the waters’ before taking the plunge. Possibly looking into doing some type of volunteer work in a hospital, speaking with nurses about the pro’s and con’s of their jobs. Something along those lines if possible to see if it feels right. Some people enter my field of work and quickly learn it’s not for them. Sort of like someone becoming a prison guard and on their first day/week they are exposed to the realities of the job and are overwhelmed and realize it’s just not for them.

But 40 is not too late. If something or someone is calling you to do nursing I say listen to that voice. Again, I’d just offer the suggestion of figuring out ways to test the waters before enrolling full time in a nursing program or especially before quitting your job. Best of luck and please provide updates as I’m sort of in the same boat, albeit for different reasons, and it would be helpful to know how the potential transition goes for you. Thoughts, plans, actions, etc.
Feeling good about yourself for doing work that helps others who are sick and suffering is a great feeling. Getting paid for it is even better. Getting paid to do something you love, and something your good at (your motivation tells me you’ll be good at it) is a wonderful thing.
Best wishes and peace. I’ll say a prayer for you that you may sort through this decision and take helpful steps towards figuring out if this is the right thing for you or not.

If you so choose, please say a prayer for me that I may be successful in finding my way to increase my income in order to be able to be a better provider for my family.
Peace be with you.
Bill
 
There’s an old story about the man who had always wanted to become a doctor, but now he was in his early 30s and facing many years of schooling. “It will take 7 years to get through medical school, and by the time I’m finally a doctor, I’ll be 40!” he wailed to the school counselor.

The counselor didn’t bat an eye. “And how old will you be in seven years if you don’t go to medical school?”

Take it from this old lady who started college at 37: Go for it.

Best of luck to you!
 
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