Do you think 50 is too old to begin nursing school and become a registered nurse?

Soon I will be getting my associates degree and I was wondering if I continued to get my bachelors in Business Administration, what kind of job will I find. But if I pursue a career in nursing, this is a career that I will not have a problem finding a job. Although this is true, I am worried about my age. When I finish nursing school I will be 50 or 51. Is too old? I will still have approximately 15 - 20 years left to work before retirement. What do you think?

I'm 48 and in the middle of getting my masters degree. I've had quite a few careers already and held all sorts of jobs and have never regretted it. We'll probably live another 30-40 years, so we might as well do something we really enjoy, and that we feel good about, right? Personally, I can't imagine totally retiring, so I'd always like to have skills that are needed so I can continue to work part-time.

I don't think any education is wasted. Even if I haven't directly used one of my degrees, it's helped me indirectly in many ways (I have a BS in Psych; AA in Data Processing; and getting a Masters in Education).

Good luck and have fun!

Business admin and nursing have very little in common,, even in the classes you have taken up till now. Nursing would be like starting over, but if that's what you'd like to do,, do it. The pay is great,, and you could live just about anywhere and have a job. With lots of people getting near retirement age you'll have plenty of work.

And if you don't go into nursing, you will still have 15-20 years to work before retirement.

I say go for it!

I can't speak specifically about nursing, but I think many people switch careers in their fifties, and I am thinking about doing so too.

Nursing is a demanding field, but the more you know about life the better it could be for you. The main thing is to make yourself happy at all cost. Measure the consequences of your decision by the rewards you envision. Ask people who are nurses. A lot of this decision should be based on your physical health. I say go for it if you feel like it is what would make you happiest.

If you're interested as much as you seem, definitely do it. You'd regret not doing it, and would always think, "I wish I would've done that..." 15-20 years is a long time, so spend it doing what you want. It's a long time to be miserable but it's a long time to do what you want, too :P

please go for it..good for you to want to do this. we desperately need nurses all over the country and as long as you are physically and mentally capable of doing the job please go for it. your never too old to learn new things and start a brand new career. i have a friend in her mid 40's thats going to medical school, so its never too late.

Nursing is one of those professions that demand heart and diligence to task. It can also be physically demanding at times. However, with all of that said, it is also a profession that (after you pay your dues for a minimum of 2 years really working doing med-surg and maybe those jobs veteran nurses wait for new grads to do), you can branch out into less physically demanding aspects of nursing, i.e. legal nurse consultant, clinical nurse specialist, etc. so go for it. You will only live once and if you end it with regret then have you really lived it at all?