Please help me. | Imamother

amother

Seashell

Thu, May 04 2017, 9:11 am

Here's my story:
I am in my mid thirties and have been a SAHM basically my entire married life. I went to college but unfortunately never finished. Life happened. Now I desperately want to do something with my life. I want to make a difference in this world. I don't have babies anymore and I am finished having children. I could volunteer, but I need to make money too. I majored in Biology and have an aptitude for the sciences and math. I always dreamed of becoming a doctor but that is definitely out of my reach. What can I realistically go back for? As I wrote, I never finished college so ideally it would be something you could go to school for without a BA. Or maybe I could finish my BA but not have too much schooling after. I want to feel fulfilled and purpose in my life. (Also, please do not judge my intellect by my writing...writing is not my forte).

cozyblanket

Thu, May 04 2017, 9:53 am

Would you enjoy sonography? It isn't just for pregnancies - you can do echocardiograms or many other things.

Per this site I just found, you can work at a sonogram tech with an associate's degree.
http://www.ultrasoundschoolsinfo.com/degree/

I don't know if there is flexibility in your hours or your schedule -you would need to reach out to women who already do this to find that out.

Per my google searches, a full time sonographer makes 48-68k.

amother

Amethyst

Thu, May 04 2017, 12:13 pm

wow good for you!
I second sonogrophy!
I regret not doing it - when I was younger I thought about doing those programs that you don't need a BA for and my parents said no way you have to get a BA.
well I got the BA , but it basically does nothing for me (im a teacher)

dont know about the job market tho.
and nursing is a great idea, but I know so many nurses who graduated nursing school and can not find a job- it can be sooo hard .

good luck!

amother

Seashell

Fri, May 05 2017, 6:21 am

Thank you all for all of the suggestions. I have considered all of these and am still undecided. If I do dental hygienist I am worried that I wont feel fulfilled, though I do think that is the most practical for me given my age. I have strongly considered sonography but I have heard that the job market is not good. Same for social work (that it's tough to find work). Does anyone know what would be involved to become a social worker and what specifically the job involves vs. a psychologist? I may like nursing but I've heard the hours are lousy (although, I don't think I care bc my youngest is 5 already). Can anyone give me more info on nursing ie. job market, schooling, type of work, etc?
All other suggestions are greatly appreciated.

frumPA

Fri, May 05 2017, 6:32 am

I know I may get bashes but I will say it anyway. Being a pa for a few yrs and working with nurses in a couple of hospitals I say dont do nursing! Nurses are majorly overworked and I feel compeled to let u know that. I used to hesitate to convince ppl not to do it but as insee more and more how overworked they are I feel I must say it. Dont have any ideas for u since I dont know those feilds. I am very happy as a PA and you could work part time if u not relying on money or benefits but schooling mag be long and its extremely intense. Good luck!

eschaya

Fri, May 05 2017, 6:44 am

Nursing is a wide ranging field. You can work 3 12 hour shifts in a hospital (days, nights, evenings), 5 8 hour days in a clinic, surgical center, school, or set your own hours in homecare, and nearly anything else (this is for full time). The type of nursing job varies (as above, acute care, primary care, specialty, home care, nursing IT, research, occupational health, surhical scrub nurse, etc). And you can choose to work with a wide range of population as well (adult, pediatrics, infants, critically ill, psychiatric illness, ob). I love that there are so many options even just starting out, and if one considers the option of going back to school, then there are even more opportunities (Np, midwife, anesthetist, clinspec, management, IT, global health).
Yes, the hours can be bad if you choose to work "those" hours, but honestly what some consider bad (probably 12 hour night shifts) is ideal for others and provides great flexibility. And if a nurse decides she doesn't want those shifts, then there are plenty of settings that allow for regular work hours (tho admittedly those jobs may be more difficult to find at least for a new grad).
It's not too late to go back to school now, and if you are interested in the health field then nursing is probably a great option for you. Schooling is not too long (though not necessarily easy), pay is decent, plenty of job opportunities and areas for growth, flexible schedule, and you get to make a difference in people's lives everyday.
(I did my rn with 3 kids, and np with 4, so I, like you, started this journey relatively late, and I can honestly say that I am so happy with my decision and have no regrets).
If you decide not to pursue nursing, ultrasonography also sounds like a good choice but I can't speak to job specifics on that one.

sarahmalka

Fri, May 05 2017, 6:45 am

Being a PA requires a bachelor's degree, I'm pretty sure. Psychologists have doctorates so that's a lot of schooling. Social work also requires a bachelor's degree. How about a medical assistant? I didn't know the job market for sonographers was bad, that surprises me. Not sure about the education requirements for nursing school but I think if you're not needing to be the primary breadwinner for your family you could work part time as a nurse and not be too overwhelmed. Especially if you were able to get a gig in a doctor's office and not at a hospital. Or a nursing assistant if you want less responsibility (but less pay) than a nurse. Or how about being a caregiver? No formal education is required except for maybe CPR and other minor certifications. Caregiver agencies are always in need. Pay is probably not great but I'm not sure. I know my mom pays something like $20 per hour for a private caregiver not affiliated with an agency but many people want caregivers through an agency and not independent. That takes a special person for that job but it is certainly a helping profession!

crust

Fri, May 05 2017, 6:50 am

frumPA wrote:

I've also done research on nursing and got the same advice as this poster.

amother

Brunette

Fri, May 05 2017, 8:42 am

amother wrote:

If you dont have your bachelors yet and want to be a social worker then look into getting a BSW. This will allow you to work in the field doing all sorts of things that social workers do like case management, work with youth or the elderly, etc. The advantage of having a BSW is that you can get your MSW in a year instead of two years so you will get your Masters faster if you want it. Another option is getting a CASAC certificate which you can use to counsel people with drug addictions. You can also get a CNA which allows you to work as a nurses assistant. Look into free certificate programs in your city and see which one would work for you and take it from there. Good luck!

cnc

Fri, May 05 2017, 10:49 am

syaem wrote:

The first thing that comes to mind is research. There is medical or scientific. You can do it part time and it's very interesting. You don't need a bachelors degree. A lot of foreign educated doctors do research before they get their medical degree. Good luck!

How can you do research without a BS? What kind of research?

cnc

Fri, May 05 2017, 10:50 am

sarahmalka wrote:

Not all programs require a BS- some schools admit you with 90 credits worth of prerequisites.