Advice
I’m looking for some outside perspective/advice regarding my career path right now because I feel pretty stuck and burnt out. i’m 29F
Background:
I’ve worked in pharmacy for several years and currently have strong retail/high-volume pharmacy experience, including leadership responsibilities as a lead tech (scheduling, workflow management, inventory/troubleshooting, training, etc.). I also have my CPhT.
I started nursing school in July 2023 and have been in a private BSN program since then. Academically, things became very difficult over time. The program heavily utilized ATI testing/remediation requirements, and after struggling with some portions of the program, I was eventually dismissed from the nursing program for a third time. I’ve also dealt with ADHD/dyslexia throughout school, which made the pace/intensity of the program difficult to sustain long-term.
I’m honestly exhausted at this point. I’ve been in constant “survival mode” for years between school, work, finances, long commutes, night shifts, and trying to keep pushing through burnout.
I’m now trying to decide whether I should:
- continue pursuing nursing eventually,
- fully pivot careers,
- or focus on building a more sustainable pharmacy/healthcare career path instead.
Right now, I have 2 job offers and a possible 3rd opportunity pending:
Hospital Medication History Pharmacy Tech
• $20/hr
• M-F 6:30am–3pm
• Benefits
• 20–30 minute commute
• Hospital experience / possible long-term growthInventory Specialist Pharmacy Tech
• $23/hr
• M-F 9–5 / 9–6:30, closed all major holidays and no weekends
• Family-owned pharmacy
• No health insurance offered (would go back to paying outta pocket for a plan. Can NOT go w/o insurance)
• 15–20 minute commute
• Higher pay and likely less patient-facing stressJail Pharmacy Tech (pending, still under hiring manager review, waiting to hear back)
• Working with my boyfriends dad who is a lieutenant at the jail
• $17–27/hr
• 3-day/4-day alternating 12-hour schedule
• Pension + benefits + tuition reimbursement
• 30–40 minute commute
• Government/corrections setting
Financially:
- I recently paid off my car completely
- Remaining debt is mostly credit cards (~$6k-ish)
- I’m trying to eventually move back out and become financially stable on my own
Emotionally:
I’m very tired. I don’t know whether I should prioritize:
• money,
• work-life balance,
• long-term growth,
• or mental recovery right now.
Part of me feels like I need to step away from the constant grind and rebuild mentally before making any huge long-term decisions.
Another part of me feels pressure to maximize income and “catch up” financially after nursing school setbacks.
For anyone who has:
- left nursing school,
- stayed in pharmacy long-term,
- worked corrections/hospital pharmacy,
- or rebuilt after burnout…
What would you do in this situation?
I am also at a ties between going back to nursing school eventually, I have my LPN license, and have a year left for my BSN (this would mean starting over from day 1 of any program for my BSN).
- OR -
Go back to community college and do 2 years of math/science (my fave subjects) pre-reqs for pharmacy school and then transfer to USF for their program.
Everyday it’s 50/50 between nursing and pharmacy, consistently back and forth.
Side note: I was in a car accident a few years ago and suffered lumbar and cervical spine injuries… I could always work as an LPN but it’s hard to get a good job with 0 experience, other than PCT/CNA experience. I refuse to work in a SNF/LTAC bc of my injuries (also had a workers comp injury when i was PCT/CNA, partly why I refuse it bc i don’t want to reinjure myself or flare it up.. which is valid). For nursing, my goal has ALWAYS been pediatrics, with long term goal of CRNA specifically for pediatric surgery. Kids have always been a niche of mine.
Please helllppppp