I don’t know if this exactly qualifies as risky, but I am feeling kind of eager to try nursing school/nursing work.
I suppose the risks are things like…maybe I will hate being back in school
Maybe I will have trouble learning now that I am in my 40s.
Maybe nursing work will be harder than I expect.
Maybe I will hate it, decide to quit, and the time and money I spent on school will have been a waste.
But if I don’t try it, I will never know. And that is a risk in and of itself; the risk of living a small life because I am afraid of the unknowns.
I am trying out a single biology class this semester (I’m taking it with Sonia!), since I have a bunch of prerequisites I have to knock out before I even apply to nursing school. So I figure this is a pretty low-risk way to see how I feel about school.
And it’s a low-risk way to see how well my brain cells are still working now that I am in my 40s instead of in my teens (the last time I was in college, I was 19).
I literally cannot thing of a single thing. I may be the most risk-averse person on the planet, which I know is often a hindrance rather than a help. Luckily, I’m married to someone for whom risk-taking is a means of keeping life interesting, so he kind of propels me along anyway. 🙂
I decided late last year that I would tackle learning another imaging modality, so I made plans to cross train in CT. Many times I have asked myself what I was thinking – its challenging. But maybe more so because I am trying to do training at work along with on-line learning. Challenging doesn’t mean impossible. My 60 year old brain can learn. And if I can do it, you can do it!
What’s CT?
I think it is great that you have decided to pursue nursing. I find it inspiring that you are doing so at 40 🙂
I have been in legal billing at corporate law firms for over 15 years. I am in the process of launching my own bookkeeping business. I have my fears (e.g. can I make it on my own?, will I be successful/earn money?, is this the right path for me?). I must remind myself why it is a good option for me (e.g. I have the skillset, I want more independence and flexibility in my work life, I can do it)
But it is a risk I am eager to take!
I’m pretty risk averse myself, which is probably why I’m against debt so much.
I guess a risk I’m willing to take is trying store brand items. I consider it very cheap gambling.
Kristen, I think you should go for it. I bet you will do better because you are older! You will be more vested and focused because you are paying and you have life experience now. My MIL became a nurse in her very late 40s and loves it. (She’s 60 now and still at it.) She started from scratch just like you.
It will open your world to new to you things (not implying you need that 🙂 ), and at the very least, should you not become a nurse, you will have the knowdge and can bandage up your kids/grandkids/family.
Weird, this was kind of the topic of my last newspaper column. Everyone’s risk budget is different. After it was published, someone asked me whether this musing was related to COVID, and yeah, I mean, kind of, but only insofar as it’s what made me even more persistently/pervasively evaluate people’s risk acceptance. http://bit.ly/3t24eKh
Upshot in case of tl;dnr, risk I’m excited to take? Well, I take pretty significant risks every single day, and I’m not excited to add to that. I tend to be gung-ho with big risk, like the double whammy of two entrepreneurs in the same household. But, say, random internet recipe? Not so much.
I applaud your return to school!