Confused on where to go career wise

Hello- I posted something similiar a few moths ago about deciding on what route to take to continue education..... I'm still totally indecisive. I'm a nurse (I have an associates degree.) I work in adult critical care. I like my job and I like experiencing and learning new things. (But it also has increased my anxiety and PMDD symptoms dealing with the stress that comes with the job.)
My passion is to work with Alzheimer's patients and their famililies. I love nursing, but I'm starting to wonder if it's really my passion. I looked into majoring in psychology and possibly clinical counseling-mainly geriatrics.

But that would mean going for a whole new degree and probally like at least 6yrs of school, and lots of tuition. I also thought of going for a psychatric nursing-which would be a little less school (also it would allow to combine both my passions:nursing and psychology and possibly geriatrics.)
I would like to do school part-time because I don't want to take out a ton of school loans and the tuition reimbursement is not the greatest. For some reason I keep going back to going for a psych degree and concentrating on geriatric counceling. I don't want to give up nursing, but not sure I want to be my complete career focus either.
Any advice??? Thanks for listening.

Hello, cutebagaddict08. You are seeking help in making a decision that is deeply personal. You have done the due diligence. My thought is for you to go for the career that feels right and not look back.

Good luck.

Are you an LPN? I would get my RN (in as little as a year and often can be studied on your own time and just the tests taken; my next door neighbor did that but there are other work/study options if you already have a science/nursing background) and then think about what you wanted beyond that when you got there. There are psychiatric nurse practitioners and other sorts of counseling/psychology-related nursing fields but with a bit more education you could probably get different sorts of jobs to explore what you really liked most for a bit before you chose additional schooling after that?

This is what happened to me, perhaps it might help you as you decide your path....

When I was deciding about going back to school, it was really important to me to have a set path, a plan before me, and to get settled into a definite route, yet I wasn't fully sure yet what I wanted to do. However, I still had an undergraduate degree before me that was unfinished and only had a few classes left to go. It was easier for me to look to the future wanting to be there and not focus on the smaller steps which were actually what was right in front me, to start back with the classes. A guidance counselor suggested, just start back and see where it takes me. Some times once we get back into it and into a field that our remaining classes are in, helps shape the direction we want to go, instead of spending time wondering this or that.

In addition, once I started back, I began to make progress to finish the unfinished degree which in and of itself would open up possibilities of what I could do were it completed. However it had to start with getting the classes done. Small steps, then see where these took me and would help refine the path I wanted to take. It did because I had more information to base the decision on for my ultimate path than just curiosity and wondering, floating back and forth in my head, which in turn drove me nuts before starting back with classes. Taking action made all the difference and settled me into at least some path in the meantime until I could decide a better path.

The other thing I did once I started to get the ideas, like the ones you are asking, was volunteering places / job shadowing, to see what the positions were actually like that I was considering. Also, informational interviewing to specifically get to know more about the field and positions which also helped shape my path and classes towards my degree or secondary degree, if that was to be the case. I no longer had these notions of the positions in my mind of what they were like, I had concrete information to base the decision and most places are very willing to help with this. Please consider doing this as well as you move forward.

There is no way of knowing what is the right path and no one can decide that for you. We use what information we have at the time, moving forward from there, and the nice thing is, we can adjust as we go. However, ideas are not the same thing as facts. Gather your own facts about the actual positions, not what you think they might be like, then decide where to go from there. You might be surprised about what you find about the positions and discover about yourself, being empowered in the process, and feel strong with less confusion about your decision for your future. Wishing you all the best!!!!

P.s. If you'd like information on how to approach a company about job shadowing or informational interviewing, PM me.

I have had to learn not to think too far ahead. When I initially started college I was going to go to Ohio University for Journalism. As of now I'm a masters student in Entomology. Can't do much more of a 180 than that. But when I started as a Zoology major I was pre-vet. Then I took one invert class and loved it. Claimed I would NEVER be an entomologist....HA.

Point being....I was so focused on where I wanted to be that I wasn't listening to what was really interesting me and ended up somewhere I never thought in a million years I would be.

If you go into a more generalized program knowing that you want something different but just not sure what....you might be surprised at where your interests take you. Sure you might have a passion for Alzheimer's patients but would this be a good career for you? Sure I still have a passion for helping animals but I could never do it as a profession. In the end...medicine is still a business. And it hurts to look at that side of it bc you want to help everyone, but you just can't. And when I saw that I would have to take animals I knew were being abused, fix them up and hand them right back to their abusers...I knew I couldn't do that. So instead I volunteer with the Humane Society. It lets me give back without having to put myself through the stress of being a vet.

So have you thought of possibly looking into other fulfilling careers while volunteering? I know working with Alzheimer's patients can be very fulfilling but it also has an inevitable ending which can be very depressing and stressful.

I agree with Fresia to possibly job shadow. That's how I changed my mind about being a vet. I shadowed a few vets, assisted in surgeries etc... and just couldn't do it. You might find by shadowing that you have an interest in an area you never thought you would. Just try to be open minded about the whole process.

As for tuition.....there's really no way around that one. I used to be worried but...now I'm 75,000 in debt and who cares. I figure, it's gonna take half my lifetime to pay it back anyways....My last semester as an undergrad I finally got more scholarships than loans and was actually able to pay off some of my loans with my scholarship money. But, in the end, you would be doing something you love and, hopefully, making enough money that the loans shouldn't be too big of a deal. Not to mention (I love Obama) we can't be billed for more than a certain percentage of our monthly income! Woohoo! So even if you get out and can't find a job....you can't be charged out the wazoo for loans.

Good luck in your search!

I am an RN. I am planning on finishing my two year arts degree with a concentration in psych that I started after nursing school and haven't finished.

I did mention my career goals and all my confusion to my therapist at my last session. She mentioned that there is a psych nurse on staff with their company and that I could probally have an interview with her to learn more about the profession.

One thing: I happened to look at the job board this week at work and noticed there is a nurse position open in the psych unit. I emailed HR to see if they are still interviewing, I'm waiting for a reply back. I figured I could apply for an interview and if it's something I think I would like, I can go for it. This would be staying at the same company and no change in pay. and I like my current job at the company also so if I didn't get it, I'd be bummed but not crushed I think.