John Kuthe...
On Oct 29, 9:57*pm, phaeton > wrote:
> Thanks for your responses John, (and others).
>
> The funny thing here is that I'm currently working in Data Security
> for a firm that does EOL IT management. *I got into IT in the late
> 1990s, not with any degrees or formal education, I just clawed my way
> into it with determination and talent. *I also have a background in
> electronics. *Obviously none of this makes me a rock star but in my
> travels throughout the IT world, I'd say I do pretty good for someone
> with just a HS diploma.
>
> Except now I'm kinda burned out. * My interest is waning, and I know
> that my motivation to stay on top of all the new technology (or old
> technologies with new names) will start to erode. *It's time for a
> change. Also, as I've gotten older, I've developed a desire to want to
> help people instead of machines. *In my early 20s I thought of trying
> to get to medical school to become a doctor, but a lack of self-
> confidence talked me out of it. *Now that it's too late in the game
> for that much schooling, i'm smacking myself.
>
> Regarding the nursing shortage, I've always been skeptical. *I
> remember all too much the "CS Degree Shortage in IT" stuff from before
> the turn of the century, and how the job market saturated around
> 2002. *Fortunately in that field, there were enough people who could
> shake out the real geeks from the goldminers, so I was lucky enough to
> be able to stay employed. *Most of what I dig up about it makes the
> 'shortage' seem like hype and b.s.. *There are thousands of new
> nursing grads that complain about being unable to find a job. *I hear
> it and read about it all the time, but I try to qualify it with the
> fact that I don't know how many of them are unwilling to relocate.
> The other thing that affects them is that every opening demands 3-5
> years experience. *You know- "can't get a job without experience,
> can't get experience without a job". *Also, I suspect that most of
> them feel like they'll go straight from school into a fictitious sit-
> com hospital like on the show [scrubs], so they thumb their noses at
> nursing homes. *I think this is a HUGE mistake. *See above chicken/egg
> problem.
>
> Regarding specialization, when I envision myself as a nurse, I'm
> pretty much a dead ringer for a psych nurse in a mental health
> facility, or some combination of nursing and psychiatric care in a VA
> Hospital. *This isn't a monetary choice, it's what I think I'll
> naturally gravitate towards and do the most good as.
>
> I'm willing to relocate when the time comes, but I also understand if
> someone wants to stay in the place they grew up.
>
> Interestingly, I wouldn't doubt if after awhile I don't end up
> crossbreeding the careers down the line- i.e., developing software or
> hardware for the medical industry. *But that's a ways off. *After some
> experience I'd also like to be a travel nurse, but I'm not 100% sure
> how the licensing works for that.
>
> Meanwhile, back to studying..
>
> Thanks
>
> -ph
Cool story, brah.
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