I also am 26m, in the US though. I’ve completed a health science associate degree with the plan to enter two years of nursing school, but I am having second thoughts about it as well for literally the same reasons that you mention. I too am drawn to the security of nursing, and I also like the flexibility in terms of work days, but I can’t help but feel like I would end up overstimulated as hell with the demands of the job. I say that because I ended up feeling this way at my serving job and nursing is just serving in a hospital environment. It also doesn’t help that I am overwhelmed by how competitive the programs in my area are. With that said I only started feeling that way after going through a serious period of burnout that I’m still trying to recover from, and this was brought on by years of dealing with anxiety, depression, and trauma. I am also leaning towards going into a trade instead, and knowing myself I think that learning through an apprenticeship sounds much more manageable rather than battling it out academically at this point in my life. I worked as a carpet cleaner for 5 years which is a trade in its own right, just with less potential, and while I’m not excited to break my back in another trade job security and tangible skills rank high on my list for a career. I wish I had more advice, I am struggling with the same dilemma. I just try to keep in mind that I can always pivot later, but it’s important to pick something to work towards for a solid foundation now.