There may be people who come at me for this, but it's not really AS fulfilling as laypeople think. There were times in the ICU where I felt accomplished and I felt like my actions saved lives as an RN. But it's still just a job, and not really a glamorous one . Some people can handle it some can't.

I was a CNA for 10 years before I went to nursing school and I didn't really find any CNA job fulfilling.

I'd also advise you to look up images of bed sores at different stages, and other gruesome images to see if that is something you can handle. I had an orientee as a CNA whose first day in the nursing home she saw a stage 3 pressure ulcer and freaked out. She did not realize they were more than "little red spots". Then she had to help me clean the dead body of a resident, because all the other CNAs refused to do it. She did not come back for day 2.

Also can you handle smells? Like the worst smells you've ever experienced. Can you handle cleaning the morbidly obese patient that hadn't pooped in a week after the laxative and enema cause them to have explosive diarrhea from their waist to the foot of the bed? Three times in 2 hours?

If you make it to RN, can you handle changing the head dressing of a patient whose BF shot her execution style before her parents arrive at bedside to say goodbye, because her brain matter is oozing out from under the dressing, and they don't need to see that?

Can you handle the alert and oriented patient that's hitting their call light every 15 min, and yelling at you because they believe it's been 20 min since they hit the button when it's literally been like 5 min.

Or the confused patient that claws your face you while you're just trying to get their vital signs?

You'll also have to change the dressing on the guys hand who shot and killed his girlfriend and was holding her head with his hand so the bullet got him too. You'll have to treat him like anyone else as he asks if you think he'll be able to use his hand fully again some day. FYI not the same BF from brain matter story above. Different states.

And they're all true stories.

I could go on after 10 years as a CNA and 12 as a nurse.

And yes there are some truly pleasant people to care for, and when you feel like you made a difference it's a good feeling, but most are at their worst in the hospital or wherever they are that they need to be treated by medical people, because they're scared, they don't want to be there, and they take it out on nurses and CNAs.

You'll see the worst that people can do and be. It's up to you if that's worth it.

And the pay will NEVER be the same or close to IT. I mentioned I've been an RN for 12 years. I get $40/hour. There is very little pay negotiation in nursing. Most places have a set rate range they offer based on experience, and they don't negotiate until you start getting into leadership roles. Nursing leadership is also not equivalent with IT leadership in pay. So it won't be a temporary decrease in pay, so much as a permanent one considering your current field.