[Kenyar]

i think i am bored. not with any one thing in particular but with life in general. i have never had the opportunity to do what i wanted. i have always done what had to be done- a full time job with benefits that pays enough to cover the bills. now i am faced with dilemma. i think i am unhappy. im not sure. there are so many things i want to do but require school. i cannot JUSt be a student, i HAVE to earn a living. on the flipside i feel like i am being a spoiled brat. there are TONS of single parents out there who go to jobs they hate everyday just to make ends meet. i dont WANT to do that. i dont want JUST a job. i want to do something i enjoy; something i could see myself doing for the next 20 years- something i could retire from. something challenging that requires thought. no a$$ kissing though, i hate that. i dont want to be rich either. i want us to be comfortable. and i dont want to work 20 hours a day....so. any ideas?

ps i still have not heard back from the police dept. i am contemplating a corrections exam OR going back to school for nursing. only problem is, what kind of work can i do while i am a full time student/single mom? could my interests be any more eclectic?

[genmel]

Where there is a will, there is a way. I cannot help but think with your computer skills, that you could not find something to do on the computer for a job on your own time, while you go to nursing school during the day. You may also check with local agencies to see if they offer stuff to help you out while going back to school. It is never too late to further your education. Never. It may take a little longer with a child, but take baby steps.

[RaCina]

Maybe work through an agency being a home health aid, make your own hours and or shifts sometimes 3 - 4 hour home visits, and go to school, some experience in the health field too....Sometimes agencies have some sort of tuition payback also.

[lvmyboys]

kenya...I was going to say be a nurse. Do you think you can manage going to school part time...and working full time?

[Hookemhigg]

Is there a hospital in your area? If so see if you can get on with them in some capacity, possibly working evenings or wknds. Once you did that then have them pay for your Nursing. I know out here in Texas they are hurting for Nurses and would gladly pay for people to go to school. I don't know your child situation, but certainly you could find a way to make it work for a year to pass LVN school. Once you pass LVN school working flexible home health schedules become possible and again, lots of folks out there willing to help you get your RN as well. Nurses are in great demand.

[ruiz4747]

You and i have a lot in common. I'm in a job i really dont like, cant decide if to go back to school and thought about going into corrections. hmmmm sounds familiar, are we related. I was going to school to be a therapist, after 2 years dropped out to raise my children. I went back part time, recently I changed my major because my new supervisor suggested it. OMG. everybody tells me what to do, go to school. I'm a single parent to 3 young adults , 2 live home. Well i know i didnt help but thought i'd let you know you are not alone. if ever you are on the west coast lets have coffee, we have alot in common. heehee

[courtneey]

Kenya, If you truly want to go to school. you should be able to get Pell Grsnts and tons of financial aide. A friend of mine ended up going for 4 years and it didn't cost her a dime, In fact she got enough free money to pay all of her living expenses too while in school. She was a single mom and black. Two minorities, tons of money out there for the taking. The internet is a great place to start looking, try Fastweb.com. And get to your college of choice financial aide office. If you truly have the drive, you can do this.

Remember...............you can never be too smart, too thin or too good looking!!

[DocSanae]

Going to be a bit tough here.
You need to make up your mind what to do--whether to continue being the way your are, or to go to school. Once you make up your mind which way to go, then, whatever chances you need will open up for you if you do the leg work you need to--check into scholarships and grants and financial aids that will help you get through, if you want to go to school.

You had to make up your mind for this surgery. You know this takes a lot of work.You also did a lot of research about this surgery pre op. Search what actual opportunities there are, instead of sitting there and thinking, well, I need this and that on the table so I can't risk that---NOT. Unless you take the risk (you risked your life for WLS) you won't get to the next stage.
Now, you'll have to make up your mind whether to tackle the next job to be done...or to stay where you are.

((((((HUGS)))))) You'll do well in whatever you choose to do, so choose well.

[Perfesser]

Kenya,

When you start talking higher ed and going back for a purpose, my ears pick up!! I had a good friend in engineering school who was a single mom and a full-time engineering student. (There may be harder ways to get through school, but you'll have to make a strong case!!) She sometimes brought her four kids with her to class and sat them in the front row to color while she took notes. Graduated and got a job with IBM, back when they were the industry standard.

My mom was 67 when she got her degree, then she started a business with it. I kept going back, and finally got my PhD when I was 46. I have students (of both sexes) doing the single parent routine and working long work hours too. All it takes is a willingness to put everything you have into the task and turn away from anything fun or distracting. (Not quite, but close!!)

I can't advise on financial aids, but I know there are lots available, and you should be able to pick up a fair amount if you research it well. Every bit helps! I can tell you, though, that you need to determine first what your passion is. What is it you want to do for the next 20 or so that is strong enough and interests you enough to make you want to kick over your present life and turn it all upside down? When you can answer that question, you're in business!

Figure out what you want to do at the same time as you research how to pay for it. What I did in that situation was to go to the career placement office and take their interest inventories and aptitude tests and a bunch of other related tests. They all came back and agreed that I needed to be an engineer of some kind. I hadn't thought of that before, but I only had to give it about 2-3 seconds of thought to know that they were 100% right. Six years later, I walked across the stage and got that famous empty diploma cover!!

I worked full-time my first three years in grad school. (You can work full-time and be a part-time student, or work part-time and be a full-time student. I've done it both ways.) When I started, the guys in the office all gave me a hard time over how long it was going to take me to get my masters degree. I told them time was going to pass anyway, and I would have mine and they wouldn't have started. I was right! Eight years later, I went back to that company as the customer, representing a $50 million annual account. I had my PhD. Some of them were in the same offices and cubes they had been in when I left. The best part of the whole experience was that the managers who had resented my going back to school had no choice but to make nice to me. (It was one of those times when it may be a sin to enjoy their discomfort so much, but I'll repent later!!)

The goal of this rambling post, Kenya, is that if you have the passion, all things are possible. Getting increased education opens doors you can't imagine, and the time to prepare for that next perfect job is before it comes open. Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done, or that you can't do it. They lie!!

If you've got the itch, scratch it!! Your friends will all be pulling strong for you! The others don't matter.

CT

[greensgirl19]

I was going to say try nursing. Don't get me wrong, it was long (4 years for a 2 year degree), wasn't easy, and I found out I was pregnant in my second semester. I went back to school (and anatomy & physiology - very tough) when he wasn't even 2 weeks old. Now he's 4 and I'm a registered nurse who is going to be working a state job (read: retirement benefits!) darn good pay, and I'm excited to go knowing what I'll be doing everyday. I'm not going to lie, I don't think floor nursing was my thing after 5 years of being a nurse aid, but I was lucky enough to get in the OR right out of school and I LOVE it! I got student loans, help from the county, and made decent money as a nurse aid while I went to school. And if you want to work now at a hospital you would like to be a nurse at, they pay for continued education as long as you work there a certain number of years for 'pay back'. Lots of schools have night programs and offer some or all of your classes on-line. I loved the on-line classes I took.