The options that you get as an RN and abundance of job opportunities are why I’m getting my RN (hopefully done this year!).

I transitioned into nursing as an LVN at 40 from real estate. I did very well in RE, but when the market is good the competition is ridiculous, because of the low barrier to entry and lack of knowledge among the general public.

People who can afford to buy ad space (even if they just got their license) can get a ton of business because a lot of people don’t know (or maybe care about) the difference between an agent with experience and someone who has no clue how to read a contract. Then, when the market is bad, you can easily go months and months with no income while also paying tons of money out. I wanted something that would be recession and mostly competition proof, so I wouldn’t end up broke at 60 if the economy tanked.

Nursing has a high barrier to entry (extensive, challenging, prolonged education), so much fewer nurses all competing for the same job as you see in real estate or sales.

My dad managed a hospice care company in Dallas and told me his all his LVNs were making 90,000 a year and were frequently caught lying not showing up to shifts etc, but no one wanted to fire them. It was bad behavior, but they were so shorthanded that they rarely ended up getting fired (not that I am advocating for bad behavior). The truth is they could’ve just gone somewhere else and had a job the next day.

RNs have it even better. I always planned to get my RN, but found as an LVN in my area your options are pretty much limited to 12 hour shifts in geriatrics or pediatric home care. Of course there are other options, but they are not abundant. So I went back to school for my RN sooner than planned and I’m excited to have more options soon!