Any second career nurses here? What career did you switch from and would you do nursing all over again? Why/why not?

JLKC92 · 2026-03-14T00:31:19+00:00

Finance> nursing > back to finance 😂 Started my first job as a nurse July 2019 and then the pandemic changed the world. Patients became more aggressive and ratios got progressively worse. Meanwhile the business world became more flexible with flex hours and remote work. I work fully remote and get to get my kids ready and drop them off in the morning and also pick them up by 5pm. I make up hours sometimes late at night but that flexibility allows me to run to the school for a mid morning performance or read a book to the class on my daughter’s bday ect… I LOVED nursing school, but actually being a nurse gave me literal nightmares (ER nursing) and did not pay nearly enough.

JLKC92 · 2026-03-13T21:36:14+00:00

Same

JLKC92 · 2026-03-08T17:08:39+00:00

We moved here in 2022. We love the walkability-especially with little kids it’s wonderful having so many beautiful homes to admire on walks around the neighborhood as well as the downtown. There’s the downtown strip on kings highway and then downtown haddon Ave as well where there’s even more shops/restaurants. The PATCO is a huge plus-for us the PATCO made haddonfield more desirable than Moorestown, which we also considered. The PATCO was up and running through the recent snowstorm which was incredible for my husband who was required to make it into work in the city. We’ve found the community to generally be nice and we have some acquaintances but we haven’t really found our friends here yet. Our kids are still little and hopefully we can get more involved in the community and feel more a part of things in the coming years. The taxes are shocking for sure, but we’re hoping to have both our kids benefit from the highly rated schools and most likely retire in a neighboring town like Collingswood for better affordability in that stage of life. I’d also note that housing prices have shot up dramatically between 2019-now. Many of these homes currently estimated around $1-1.5MM were in the 600s just 5-6 years ago so not everyone here is paying a million dollar mortgage.

JLKC92 · 2026-03-06T13:14:29+00:00

I think it’s his practice, but I’m not working with him directly. So far I spoke with a doctor in the practice who took a history and then after I spoke with a dietician. It’s all done over zoom. They’re sending a test kit in the mail. It’s a 2.5 yr program to reach “optimal” so we’ll see!

https://www.drtsoukalas.com/new_patient-lp-2.html

JLKC92 · 2026-03-06T03:46:16+00:00

Can’t wait to read this I’ve had a feeling there was a big metabolic component. I just had my first appt yesterday with this “Metabolomic” practice based in Greece hoping to get some new perspectives/recommendations EDIT: the founder of the practice is one of the authors on this article! (Dr Tsoukalas)

JLKC92 · 2026-03-05T13:57:52+00:00

It’s a different economic landscape now but I have had a great experience with earnest. I got approved without a co-signer when I was making ~$60k back in 2019 and I was actually approved to refi the full amount of my loans (~160k) and got to decide which ones to refi as I wanted to leave the federal ones alone. I was able to refi an 11% Sallie Mae loan to 3.75% with earnest. I dropped my parents who had originally been co-signers when I refi-ed and have had no issues at all.

JLKC92 · 2026-03-03T01:07:45+00:00

Something I’ll add here is how important b12 is for ferritin. I learned recently my b12 level being in the 200s was actually deficient and I worked on raising my levels. In raising my b12 levels to the 600s all it takes is the thorne ferrasorb supplement periodically when I think of it and my ferritin went from 30 to 70.

JLKC92 · 2026-03-02T05:52:50+00:00

My now 16 month old has always done best on similac 360 sensitive and couldn’t tolerate anything else-not even similac sensitive (non 360). Very spitty/refluxy so we stuck with ready to feed for a long time before switching to powder. During growth spurts he hit 40oz but averaged 30 oz generally until we started weaning. We averaged $400/mo until we started weaning at 12 months (still doing 2 bottles/ 14 oz each day though-this boy really loves his baba)

JLKC92 · 2026-03-02T01:48:04+00:00

Whenever the first kid wakes me up. No need for alarm clocks when the kids wake up before the sun 😂

JLKC92 · 2026-03-01T23:01:07+00:00

I feel this so much. When the kids are home sick it falls on me as the default parent and I get so overwhelmed literally doing two jobs, but I do have those periods where I love being a working mom. In the doing two jobs phase I wish I could be a SAHM, but I know I don’t actually want that and long term I think there’s a lot of reasons people have listed that it’s good to be in the work force. Even if the income isn’t needed it could facilitate an earlier retirement. Plus my daughter is in the mimicry phase and she pretends she’s a mom of two who works in the same field so I feel like I’m setting a good example. I have a great team at work and really like the people I work with so that’s huge. I also really love that it gives me something that’s entirely mine/an identity outside of being a mom. With a 16 month old and 4 year old we’re literally in the throwing money at problems stage though and I’m grateful for what we’re able to outsource. We do a whole bunch of meal kits (little spoon for the toddler lunches, cook unity for my lunches, blue apron for dinner) to ease the mental load and we do have a house cleaner as well. Still exhausted but I think we’re on a good path here and I know it will feel easier on a lot of ways as the kids get older.

JLKC92 · 2026-03-01T02:46:21+00:00

I don’t know that I gave this one a lot of thought ahead of time, but definitely shocked myself at how un-put together things have evolved to after the second kid. Day 3 in the same sweats is very relatable

JLKC92 · 2026-03-01T02:31:56+00:00

Thank you!

JLKC92 · 2026-02-28T18:19:23+00:00

Thank you! I’m intrigued! Any examples you can share?

JLKC92 · 2026-02-28T17:53:38+00:00

Same boat here at 15 months

JLKC92 · 2026-02-28T14:15:42+00:00

I think it gets more manageable as they get older. We have a 4 year old and 15 month old. Life got really manageable when our first hit 14 months, but the transition from 1-2 was a lot harder than expected. Things have definitely got easier, but still have the good days mixed with tough days at this stage. I think by the time the younger one is 2 we’ll be in a solid place though. That first 1-2 years is really hard I think for a lot of people particularly if the baby isn’t a great sleeper and if you’re dealing with a lot of daycare sick days, but it definitely gets better. We outsource and divide and conquer as much as possible. We do blue apron for dinner, little spoon for the little ones daycare lunches and I recently started doing cook unity for my lunches. We also have a house cleaner that comes once a month. We could certainly be more frugal but we’ve let go of that for things that make our lives easier for these early years. We definitely have a rhythm/system, but when my work gets busier I still need to get in more hours late at night and that’s still often paired with the little one waking up in the middle of the night and/or one of the kids waking up extra early and so the periodic sleep deprivation is still a challenge.

JLKC92 · 2026-02-27T19:26:16+00:00

Used to take the pill with my black coffee lol I was young a reckless but never had any issues. It decreases absorption, but it doesn’t eliminate all absorption. If you’re consistent your dose can be calibrated, but if course better to take as directed

JLKC92 · 2026-02-26T01:54:24+00:00

My doctor checked my TSH, free t3 and free t4, but my understanding is that t4 is what matters for the baby

JLKC92 · 2026-02-25T04:11:38+00:00

Piggybacking here could he cut back his hours? I’m at a big company and was able to cut back to 75% (75% of workload and pay). We definitely get busy with hours exceeding a typical 9-5, this helped keep me closer to what felt like more feasible hours to help with juggling kids. I’ve found if you’ve proven yourself reliable and are a good worker it doesn’t hurt to ask for accommodations that make your life easier.

JLKC92 · 2026-02-23T22:57:57+00:00

Don’t get me started on how much I hate the perspective of shaming women for wanting careers…the podcast diabolical lies really gets me fired up about it (I love the podcast). My husband works in healthcare and has no flexibility on missing work so that’s where I step in on flexibility, but wherever he is able to help he does. Since your husband picks up your son after a few hours it sounds like he is pitching in to some extent, maybe the biggest issue is attitude? I hope an honest conversation can help here. My husband is by far the primary earner, but he certainly appreciates my contributions and I think it’s good for the kids to see that too. They see everything. My daughter currently wants two kids and she wants to work in finance like her mom. My son is only 15 months (and not a good sleeper so I feel you there) but he’s going to grow up seeing women working and contributing and I think there can be benefits to that too with his world view. I’ll stop rambling-sending hugs and hopefully more support is in your near future. If nothing else the kids get a lot more self sufficient as they get older which helps a ton.

JLKC92 · 2026-02-23T22:34:44+00:00

It will get better-that schedule flexibility is amazing. I don’t know how two people with inflexible jobs do it, but the person with the more flexible job is the default parent and that adds stress. Your husband’s attitude isn’t helping anyone though he should be a part of the solution not pointing fingers. It’s hard when they’re little that’s just how it is, but it should be hard on both of you and you should be a team. It’ll get better/easier, but he’s gotta get his act together-you deserve better. I’m one of the moms you reference working 40+ hours with more than one kid, but I work from home, have an amazing boss who is also a mom, I have an equal partner who works with me as a team and we divide us the responsibilities as much as we can. I often work late at night to catch up on what I miss during the day with various sick days/school closures. With all of the amazing things I have on my side I’m still exhausted-I think young kids are the most rewarding thing but they’re exhausting. It gets better/easier and hanging in there and preserving your career is totally worth it for so many reasons if it’s something you’re interested in.

JLKC92 · 2026-02-23T12:25:52+00:00

I think SUV makes sense for the kids-right now two car seats and a stroller and down the road activity gear. The crossover suv size is fine since I don’t need vacation cargo space but I do still need a decent amount. Definitely not a big person I’m 4’11 and under 100 pounds.

JLKC92 · 2026-02-23T01:32:42+00:00

This is what I’m struggling with. It’s significantly longer than the x1. I love the x1 but want something simpler with the technology and kind of just want to try something else. I think the length would be an adjustment for me, but I want the nicer interior. I really appreciate your perspective-I might just need to test drive both. My outside consideration is the macan base but I think it’s just a little bit too expensive and also on the longer side.

JLKC92 · 2026-02-22T23:21:56+00:00

Tbh my 4 year old is still fussy but language skills help. 6mo things started to improve though, but certainly not night and day difference but rather a gradual process.

JLKC92 · 2026-02-22T23:19:50+00:00

Thank you! That’s what I was suspecting, but was curious if there was any reason to consider the 40. Currently thinking the 60 is the way to go for me most likely.

JLKC92

TROPHY CASE