What should I do if my professor does not post the grades by the end of today? This professor has been late for every single thing for this class. Literally did not post any assignments for 2 weeks, made excuses about how they are going through personal stuff and has not been on top of the syllabus. Now I am worried they will not post grades as well. I need my grades to enroll for my next classes. What would you do?
Hey everyone, I’m looking for some honest advice from people in healthcare, especially nurses, CNAs, or phlebotomists.
I’m currently in my first semester of college finishing my general requirements, and my goal is to apply to my nursing program by next summer. While I’m in school, I want to get into a healthcare-related job/trade that will help me gain experience and prepare me for nursing.
Right now I’m mainly considering CNA or phlebotomy.
I’ve thought about becoming a CNA because people say it gives you real patient care experience and helps you build bedside skills before nursing school. But I’ve also had a lot of people tell me not to do CNA work because the pay is low for how physically and emotionally demanding it is. I keep hearing about the “nitty gritty” parts like wiping patients, lifting/carrying patients, burnout, etc.
I guess I’m looking for realistic insight into what being a CNA is actually like day-to-day. Did it help you become a better nurse or prepare you for nursing school? Was it worth it?
And compared to CNA, would phlebotomy be a better route? I know phlebotomy seems less physically demanding, but I’m not sure if it gives the same level of experience or looks as good for nursing programs.
If you could go back and choose again before nursing school, would you pick CNA or phlebotomy?
Thank you so much. I really want to make the smartest decision for my future.
Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice from anyone familiar with pharmacy technician licensing/certification.
I used to be a licensed and certified pharmacy technician several years ago, but unfortunately I let my license expire and didn’t renew it for about 4–5 years. I recently looked into getting back into the field, but now I’m being told I can’t simply renew it and may have to redo my externship/training hours under a pharmacist all over again.
Has anyone else gone through this situation before? Is there any way around restarting the externship process, or any alternative pathways to become licensed again? I still have prior experience as a pharmacy tech, so I’m feeling discouraged about starting completely over.
I’d really appreciate any advice, especially from pharmacists, pharmacy techs, or anyone who has reinstated an expired license after several years.
Thank you!
Hi everyone. I’m honestly feeling really lost and overwhelmed with my career direction right now and could really use advice from people who have been through this or work in these fields. I’m currently stuck between pursuing nursing or continuing down the IT/networking-cybersecurity path, and my biggest problem is fear and indecisiveness. I keep going back and forth because both careers scare me for different reasons.
With nursing, I’m drawn to the stability, meaningful work, and the ability to eventually work remotely in some roles. Healthcare feels more practical and “real” to me compared to sitting behind a computer all day. But I’m terrified of failing nursing school, especially the clinical portion. I constantly hear horror stories about difficult preceptors, nurses being annoyed with students, toxic environments, humiliation during clinicals, and people being treated like they’re a burden for asking questions. That honestly scares me so much because I’m sensitive to criticism and already struggle with self-doubt. I worry that I’m not confident enough, smart enough, or emotionally strong enough for nursing school. The thought of being thrown into clinicals and feeling incompetent around experienced nurses makes my anxiety go through the roof.
On the other hand, I was also pursuing IT/cloud/cybersecurity for a while. I actually enjoy technology and learning, but the field has started discouraging me too. It feels like every “entry-level” IT or help desk job now wants years of experience, certifications, homelabs, customer service experience, etc. At the same time, I keep hearing people talk about automation and AI replacing or reducing entry-level IT work. That makes me afraid I’ll spend years studying only to struggle breaking into the field anyway.
Another thing is that I used to work in customer service/call center environments, and I absolutely hated dealing with angry people all day. Some parts of IT support seem like that same stress all over again.
I’m 41 years old, and I think my age is also making me panic because I feel like I don’t have unlimited time to keep changing directions or making mistakes.
I guess what I’m really asking is:
Has anyone here gone into nursing later in life while struggling with fear/anxiety/self-doubt?
Are clinicals really as brutal as people online make them sound?
Is IT truly becoming impossible to break into at the entry level?
How did you finally choose a career path when you felt paralyzed by uncertainty?
I feel stuck in this constant cycle of overthinking and fear of making the wrong choice. Any honest advice or personal experiences would really mean a lot to me.
Hi everyone,
I am 41 years old and recently went back to school for Information Technology with a focus on Cybersecurity and Networking. I am still doing my general requirements, but so far I have been trying to get a head start into my core classes. I am currently half way through the Google Cyber Security certification course and have been watching tons of videos and reading cram books on COMPTIA security+ exams.
To be honest, it has been overwhelming at times and I feel a bit discouraged especially when it comes to Networks and the different protocols and layers. Yesterday I was wondering if I started too late or if I am trying to break into a field that younger generation have already been doing for years.
I know that I will start somewhere like help desk or junior IT tech and I even built my own PC from scratch so I have a bit of hardware knowledge, but I was wondering:
Did anyone else start in cybersecurity or Tech in their 40's or later? If so did you also begin with minimal experience or knowledge in tech? How difficult was it top get your first help desk job or entry level IT job? What helped things finally click for you? Did you feel age was a disadvantage for you or did life experience help you in your roles?
I am genuinely looking for encouragement to continue in this field as it is interesting to me, But I also want some realistic answers to my questions.
Thank you so much to anyone willing to share their story.