… but please, don’t be a nurse…
I have never been one to stomp on a student’s dream. As an advisor my job is to support and encourage a student’s dreams and plans for achieving their goals. However, it pains me to talk to students who swear that getting a nursing degree is their one and only career goal — and s/he continuously fails basic math AND swears that s/he can’t stand anatomy and physiology.
I believe all human beings are smart, capable, and have something positive to contribute to the world — no matter how big or small. So if you know a fellow student (or perhaps this person is you…) who just hasn’t figured out what that special SOMETHING is yet, there is hope for you yet. Please understand:
IT’S OK TO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!
I am 34 years of age and my vision of my “ideal career” shifts as I learn new things about myself. The person I was at 20 is not the same person I am today (thank God!). Allow yourself some wiggle room for discovery in your first semester or two of community college — whether you are a student who is fresh out of high school or 45+ years of age. Take that course that interests you — just because it’s available. Worst case scenario: even if you don’t like it, at least you’ll know early on rather than wasting time and money on a major that doesn’t suit you. Best case scenario: you love it and decide to switch your major to something that moves you!
So, if you are currently a nursing — or pre-nursing major — only because it’s the only health career you know of, please take a look at this site:
This site offers a wealth of information on at least 100 different careers in the health field. Once you find something that peaks your interest, make an appointment to talk with your advisor and your career counselor to discuss developing a career path that is unique to your interests. Just don’t end up like this…
Tags: careers, community college, nursing
Hooray for this post. I love to tell people that my father who is now 80 years old went to college, had to drop out due to finances, joined the Air Force and stayed for 16 years, worked for the FAA, received a degree in accounting and later a degree in law. After stints at the EPA and Department of Treasury he retired and began work teaching first as a long term sub in math and accounting classes in the Prince William County schools until he found his calling as the in school suspension monitor. He loved it and it was quite accidental. Based on the warm greetings he used to get from young people at Potomac Mills Mall I think he must have really been able to connect. My own path has hardly been linear and if you don’t have exposure to something how can you know if you love it, demonstrate a talent for it, etc? It is so important for people to get out of boxes and also not let money alone define career choices.
Thank you for your comment, Valarie. The pressure to “hurry up and graduate” is just not coming from the student. Learning institutions, including community colleges, pressure students to graduate in the shortest amount of time possible. I can understand their logic; many students at my community college have been here off and on since the 1980′s trying to complete what’s supposed to be a 2-year program. The challenge is to ensure that students stay continually engaged in academic support services so that they know when and where to experiment, but still be able to graduate in a timely manner.