Ha, this is a funny prompt because…I AM going back to school for something.
I’m currently working on the last four prerequisites for the nursing program, which I hope to join in two years, which is also when Zoe graduates from high school.
When my kids were younger, I often said, “Well, if I had two lifetimes to live, I’d go be a labor and delivery nurse in my next life.”
And eventually, I realized I was only going to be 45 when my youngest kid graduated from high school, and if I have an average life expectancy, I do sort of have another lifetime to live still!
So, hopefully, in four years’ time, I will be an official nurse, and eventually, perhaps I will get to be a labor and delivery nurse.
I can’t think of a whole lot of other things I would be interested in going back to school for; if I didn’t do the nursing route, I’d probably start a business doing something (like maybe a decluttering business).
A somewhat related thought: At 43, I feel very blessed to have had so many work experiences already; I taught piano for 20 years, worked as a church musician for 10 years, and I’ve been earning money writing on my blog for 13 years.
(Ok, well, that first year or two of blogging were not really money-making years. Ha.)
Plus, I’ve been living the mom life for 22 years and the homeschool mom life for 17 years.
And on top of all of that, now I have the opportunity to try more education + a new career.
That’s a tough one. Maybe some business classes to help me get a business started? But I think I would really rather not go back to school to work toward a degree. I enjoy learning so much more on my own.
I have the Peter from Office Space mentality. Left to my devices I would do nothing. Maybe it’s the burnout from my work speaking but I think if I were to go back to school it would be to expand my knowledge and not for any sort of job training.
Kristen,
On the labor and delivery nurse score, have you seen the TV program Call the Midwives? It’s a super delightful show for anyone but is in your wheelhouse on top of that. Lighthearted but often deeply poignant given its important subject. And, a true story!
YES! I loved that show!
I went back to school! I was over halfway through college when I stopped, being both burned out and moving states. It nagged at me that I was that close to a degree and stopped, so I went back 14 years later, changing my major as I did so. I’d learned I did NOT want to be a teacher in those interim years. Actually, I wanted to be a librarian, but I would have needed quite a bit more schooling to take that major. So I graduated in English and Business, which actually go together quite well, and got a job right out of college.
I “went back” again when taking a four-year course of Education for Ministry (EFM) at Sewanee. This was all off-campus, and was done in groups. Our group of nine met once a week for nine months of each year for those four years, studying the Bible, religious history and theology. I got CE credits for that.
If I were to go again, it would be to take a foreign language. I am using Duolingo to learn Spanish, but it feels very slow. I would love to learn both Spanish and French.
That’s so funny-I am a nurse and I worked labor and delivery for years. Now I’ve moved into a different role where I don’t do direct patient care anymore. If I had it to do all over again, I would go to school to be a librarian. I always wanted to be one and I let some unsupportive people in my life
discourage me. There are wonderful things about being a nurse-but I truly wish I had followed my dream. Good luck to you Kristen as you pursue nursing. Your kindness and positivity will be serve you and your patients well 🙂
Cool! Interesting that for some, school and career period is from 18 to whenever, with marriage and kids happening simultaneously; some delay the home and family until much later and stay home with kids/work from home starting at the age that you’re pretty done with that phase. Some opt not to work outside, not to have children, whatever! And while the actual child-bearing window has limits, adoption or caring for grandchildren can happen at any time, and men can stay home or work in a way that allows more participation with child-raising, etc. I like that options are greater than they once were, and I like a blog like yours where we can learn about each other!
My thought seems to be the thought of some others here… If I were to go back for another degree, I’d look into library science to be a librarian. Specifically, a children’s librarian.