Full Careers - Career path to choose?

Career path to choose?

I am at a real crummy point in my life. I have graduated from college 2 years ago with a degree that I am not using. I have taken many personality, career tests on line and have found my strong points are in social work, but I feel that I have wasted my degree in a sense. I have a science background, but do not want to work in that field. I am debating between nursing, teaching, and counseling. My parents want me to be a teacher, but I'm not so sure. I've heard there are many rewards, but also draw backs to teaching. Help! What should I do? As a side note: I think nursing will be a great career path for me, but I do not want to work for the money. I was brought up in a home where there was a lack of money & I do not want to do nursing for the wrong reasons. What should I do? Should I go for the job with more opportunities (nursing)?

Public Comments

I was in a similar situation. I would love to share my story with you. Is there a time that we could chat on the phone? I truly think that my story may help you from making the same mistakes that I did. Hope to hear from you.
If you have a science background degree, and your evaluation tests all point to nursing, what a shoe-in! Those two factors equal success to me. You should be able to ease through the required science, such as physiology and anatomy, chemistry, math, etc. that is required in nursing unless you have already taken many of the required courses, then you're practically there! The capacity of caring, having a deep desire to help others is important and very satisfying in the nursing industry. All that most people want is love and kindness when they are at their most vulnerable, and somebody who is knowledgeable so that their health needs are in capable hands. I'm hearing more of a lack of motivation for some reason or another. Have you traveled a bit for a change of scenery? Is there more self examination you might think about doing to see what other pieces are missing in your life? Are you following your own voice and your own heart or are you being pressured by others too heavily because you feel down about not applying yourself to work that relates to your degree? Thousands of people have had that obstacle. You're the author! Time to start writing a new chapter huh? You go and listen to your own inner voice, that's where you will find your strengths and answers.
i am a nurse(LPN), it is very hard work(on the job and schooling). But at the same time the job is more reward than any other field apart for an EMT or doctors. Your job will be comforting people and saving there lives. you will be well respected and thanked for what you do. You will also be in demand more than any other profession. you will meet more people from all over the world of all ages. your work mates will also be your family unless you are a traveling nurse but then you get to go to different places all expenses payed. plus it is very flexible and lucrative. i work only 3 days a week(12 hour shifts), with over time i easily clear $5000 a month or $60,000 year and i don't even have a degree. you'll get more money as an RN or Bs.N and you will be a nurse faster than the other options.
Nursing is a noble profession and the money is actually not that bad (it use to be but nurses are in such demand that there are actually signing bonuses. It also is a career where you can go anywhere in the world. Two other options that are slightly more study but also give you more power are the Nurse Practitioner and the Physician assistant. Both of these open up many doors. You could also go for an MSW in social Work with a focus in the Health arena. DA
Assuming you know what each profession entails in terms of job scope, prospect, training and company hierarchy, you can use a screening matrix with weightage to help you to decide your career life. Use the steps below: 1. Create a table with columns, rows and headers. 2. Brainstorm criteria that are crucial in your decision making and rank them in order of importance or priority. These will form the first column on the left. 3. The three professions will be the headers. 4. Give a weightage to each criteria that will add up to 100% or a similar system. 5. Choose from the scale of 1 to 10 points with 1 as the least important and 10 as the most important. 6. After multiplying the weightage with the points, sum them up for each profession. 7. The highest total wins and this is the career you are going to pursue in your life. Note that you can also use other problem-solving methods like decision tree to derive a conclusion. All the best in your new endeavour.