How much do LVN/RN's or people enrolled in Nursing School make?

There has been much discussion that while your enrolled in the last two years of your Nursing Program it is frowned upon to working a FT job during this time as the program can be highly demanding. I also heard that you can be paid during the program which somewhat makes up for working - however the pay might not be that great...but does anyone know what that might be? I have to be fully aware at what I might be taking on being the head of household and all...I hope I can afford to do it. I cannot leisurely go to school without having some sort of income...who can these days? Anyways, anyone who knows what I will be dealing with or going through with a desire to become a nurse practitioner someday....please I need your help & advice for planning the future.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2004, about 2.4 million people were employed as registered nurses, making this the single largest occupation in the healthcare field. Nearly 60 percent of RNs were employed in hospitals.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment of registered nurses is expected to grow "much faster than average for all occupations" during the upcoming decade. Due to the large number of nursing jobs that will be created, registered nurses are predicted to create the second largest number of new jobs among all occupations in the U.S. Job opportunities for registered nurses will be excellent, to the point that the industry is even now experiencing difficulty attracting and retaining an adequate number of RNs.

U.S. Department of Labor figures indicate that the median annual salary of registered nurses in 2004 was $52,330, with a range running from less than $37,300 to a high of more than $74,760. The highest median wages were paid by employment services ($63,170) and hospitals ($53,450).

My sister-in-law was an LPN in Arkansas. She went back to college for her RN degree while continuing her job at Baptist Medical Center by working their weekend options. She worked 2 days on the weekend 12 hrs each day. She had 3 children when she started and 4 children when she finished.
Hope this inspires you to believe you can make it happen if you just make up your mind that no matter what you will not quit. Good luck.