The current economic outlook looks uncertain at best. Many industries are going through downsizing, and it’s hard to find a field of study where you’re sure of a stable career. But there is one industry that is almost certain to grow at a healthy rate in the future; health care. And if you want to get into this growing and lucrative field, nursing school could be your ticket.
There are a number of reasons to consider entering a nursing program, here are just four of the most obvious:
1. Good salary and benefits
When you become a nurse, you will probably be one of the highest paid people in your community. Depending on the type of nurse you become (LPN or RN) and the area of the country (or world) you work in, you may see a starting salary in the five figures. That’s not bad for just a couple of years of schooling. Many young people today with four-year liberal arts degrees end up in the unemployment line. And in addition to the salary, nurses also usually get good benefits. Most of them have good health insurance plans and retirement packages.
2. Job stability
As mentioned above, the trends in the healthcare industry are quite favorable. With an ever-growing elderly population, the need for nurses will only increase in the future. In an economy where there is so much uncertainty, you could hardly ask for a better career than nursing. And if demographic trends are any indication, nursing jobs are expected to grow for at least the next several decades.
3. Flexibility in location
A close companion to job stability is location flexibility. Everyone is going to need health care at some point in their lives, and older people need it more often. This means that as the population of older people grows across the developed world, nurses have a myriad of options to work with. And if you like the heat, you’re in luck, because older people also prefer the heat. Although jobs are plentiful virtually everywhere, they are especially easy to come by in warmer climates with large numbers of retirees like Florida and Arizona.
4. Rewarding work
Nursing is not only a well-paying job with great benefits and career stability, but it is also a very rewarding job. Nurses make a real difference in the lives of sick and hurting people every day. Every day, you will have the opportunity to take care of the people who really need your help and will appreciate you for it. Now, along with this comes a certain level of stress, and working in a fast-paced medical environment may not be for everyone. But if you are the type of person who is especially compassionate and enjoys taking care of people, then nursing may be right for you.
To enter the field of nursing, you must enter a nursing school that offers either an LPN program or an RN program. LPN (Licensed Practical Nursing) training takes one to two years and is the fastest way to enter a career as a nurse. RN (registered nurse) takes a couple more years, but makes you a supervising nurse with higher pay and more responsibility.