Getting Back to School/Work

July 15, 2012 9:32 AM

Going back to work after being out of the workforce for a long time- who has done it?

I am a woman who got married at 25, and had children at 28 and 31, and stayed home to raise them. Now all of a sudden I'm 34 and am starting to freak out a little bit about my lack of career. I have a bachelor's in public health, but there are just no jobs for that in my area, so I decided to go back to school this fall and get a nursing degree. I need five prereqs, and then will go into clinicals. My tuition is paid for, and the school in question also offers a NP program. I'll be about 37 when I graduate with a BSN, and I'm getting scared that I won't be able to find work because I'm too old to be looking for entry level jobs, especially in this economy. My husband has a stable job and a great resume, so it's not like I'll be starving if I don't get a job, but now that I've seen my kids through their very early childhood, I'm really itching to get back to work and terrified of failing. Has anyone been through this? Any words of wisdom or advice?

posted by Athene to Work & Money (12 answers total)

I was a homemaker for two decades. I got my first full time paid job at age forty. It was not in the field I had trained for but it was also not minimum wage.

Pick up a copy of "What color is your parachute?" On your resume, put in any volunteer work and schooling that may have occurred while raising kids. Emphasize your education. Think through your explanation of your situation beforehand so you have your answer handy. My explanation was "Former military wife going through a divorce." The point is for you to be comfortable saying it. Employers probably don't care as much as you think they do. "What color is your parachute?" has lots more to say about that.
posted by Michele in California at 9:48 AM on July 15, 2012 [3 favorites]

A lot of the women in my church have done this, specifically in nursing - the one thing they all said was much easier, in terms of getting a foot in the door, is being willing to work part-time or on call, with variable hours. One has been working her way up from filling in like two days a month to working four days a week.

I don't know where you live, but if it's the midwestern US, or the south, everyone knows someone who stayed at home with the kids when they were little, and now works. It's extremely, extremely normal. The only worry anyone has is that you'll decide to drop out for the family again, and having gone to college after the little ones got bigger is a big plus in that area.
posted by SMPA at 9:51 AM on July 15, 2012

I have never been through it on your end, but I have dealt with people who were long term unemployed. I am a contractor, and periodically get large-scale projects. For these jobs, I hire temporary workers for the duration of the job - 3 months, 8 months, or whatever.

In my experience, the biggest problem people have getting back to work is the regimentation and the schedule. When you are used to your own schedule, you set the pace and the break times. On the job, you have to follow along with a pre-set schedule. You may be used to taking a lunch break, and resting a bit, at 1pm - now suddenly, lunch is at 11:30 and it is a strict half hour. A little change like that can cause great stress and fatigue - until you get into the swing of the job.

Also, if I had the choose between a youngster at entry level pay vs a 37 year old at entry level pay - no question, take the old person every time. Early 20s workers are less reliable, 37 years are more stable (as a generalized rule). The reason I end up hiring so many youngsters is because the older folks want a higher pay rate. A 37 year that understands they are starting at entry level - that is a huge bonus to me as the employer.
posted by Flood at 9:54 AM on July 15, 2012

First, huzzah for doing this! I was in a similar situation years back and once my kids were in school, decided to get into teaching, so I went to school for the Master's. It was a great decision. First, the years I was in school I made a lot of valuable contacts, but also it was a gentle re-integration into the world of no-kids, which I desperately needed.

When you start applying for positions, you will find quickly that many organizations appreciate your maturity and life experience and these will count as plusses on your resume.

I wouldn't worry in any way, shape or form about being unhirable; you will bring a lot to whatever job you decide to accept. And being able to forge a non-mommy identity feels...well, it feels really good as well.
posted by kinetic at 10:19 AM on July 15, 2012

Be prepared to work your way up from "will scramble for part-time" to "I am a proven, reliable worker." Do what you can to pick work that will lead to what you want, even if that means you are not picking the highest paying job early on.
posted by zippy at 10:26 AM on July 15, 2012

Many, many people come to health care later in life, either after taking time off to raise kids or as a second career. I expect there will be other people in your classes who are doing the same thing. One of the LPNs in my office just completed her BSN at the age of 40. Your age should not be a problem in any way in terms of getting hired for entry level work.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 10:43 AM on July 15, 2012

My mom did exactly this, but with an even longer gap (my sister and I were in high school when she started back at college). You're not alone.
posted by fontophilic at 10:54 AM on July 15, 2012

You will probably be extremely typical among your fellow nursing students, especially if you're going to a community college. Make sure you reach out to them, both for support during school and for job leads later.

My sister-in-law was in your exact boat ten years ago, including going back to school for nursing. During nursing school, she found that she really liked the academic atmosphere, and since graduating has split her time between several actual nursing jobs (most via an agency, and some part-time), and working as an instructor and tutor at her old school. (She'd like to be a full-time faculty member, but that requires a master's degree, and she's not sure about that yet.)
posted by SuperSquirrel at 10:55 AM on July 15, 2012

Not exactly the same scenario but if it will quell your fears that you will be the oldest person graduating from nursing school, one of my friends recently started nursing school at the ripe old age of 49. She graduates next spring (she'll be 51). Since she's not on the job market yet, I can't say how that will impact her ability to get a job, but she's done very well in her program. Although she has not had any long periods of unemployment, she is switching from a totally unrelated career.
posted by kaybdc at 1:40 PM on July 15, 2012

The average age of nurses in the USA is over 45. Many of them have delayed or returned from retirement in the last few years due to the economy, but there are concerns about rapidly developing shortages as these nurses begin to hit social security age or the economy improves. Graduating in three years time should put you in a pretty good position as that happens.
posted by jacalata at 10:03 PM on July 15, 2012

This is a cliché in these matters, and I apologize if you've seen it before, but:

If you do this, in three years you'll be 37, with a BSN, in (quite possibly) a challenging economy.

If you don't do this, in three years you'll be 37, without any degree, in the same quite-possibly-challenging economy.

Wait, I just reread the question. Your tuition is paid for? Okay, only question now: does the prospect of doing this professionally seem interesting and challenging, enough for you to give it the attention and energy necessary to do it well? Then go for it!
posted by Lexica at 8:59 PM on July 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

I've run across programs at community colleges for "women in transition," which often is exactly your situation (sometimes it might focus more on women who were homeless). They help with resumes and other practical matters, plus you get the support of your peers. Maybe your school has a program like that, or knows of one in the area.
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:53 AM on July 18, 2012