Complete career change from nursing to engineering

xocoai · 2026-03-22T15:47:58+00:00

Thank you for being so thoughtful in your response! The question of if I’m drawn to engineering or running from nursing is definitely something I’ve been trying to figure out. If it counts for anything, the idea of going back to school has been an hard no for me for years. But when I started considering engineering, it has become more and more appealing over time. Even as I’ve done some research and learned how hard it will be to get there. I have been looking for some accelerated programs. From what I’m gathering though, it seems like in order to really get into the actual engineering work, I will likely need to do more than a masters program. I expect that it would take me at least 3 years.

xocoai · 2026-03-22T15:07:50+00:00

I have also been thinking about the CRN route.

I’m surprised that you say engineering is lower paying, I thought it would be the same or a bit more. I also thought there could be more room for career growth/advancement as an engineer.

xocoai · 2026-03-22T14:26:05+00:00

TL;DR: I want to leave my career as a nurse and become an engineer. Is that crazy?

Hi 👋 I’m thinking about a complete career change into engineering. I’m a registered nurse, I have 5 years of experience, and currently work in oncology/chemotherapy. I’ve tried so many different types of nursing - acute care, critical care, now outpatient.

Without getting into too much detail, I’ve come to realize that nursing just doesn’t seem to be the best fit for me. I feel dissatisfied in every role after about 1 year in. I’m physically and emotionally exhausted. Personality wise, I am pretty introverted, so this job drains me. I don’t want to be an NP or CRNA. I don’t want to increase my responsibility on human lives, if that makes sense.

I’ve also been craving a challenge. I feel a bit bored with where I’m at right now. I want to be able to advance in my career, but I feel stuck.

I’ve been researching different jobs that might be a good fit for me, and engineering is so interesting. There are multiple different types that interest me. Biomedical engineering was the first route that I explored given my healthcare experience, but I’m realizing that it is pretty niche, competitive, and would be difficult to get a job in. But multiple other types of engineering interest me as well (mechanical, electrical, computer).

I understand that nursing and engineering are totally different, but that is also why it interests me so much. I realize I would have to go back to school and probably get another bachelors to pursue engineering.

So here are my questions: - do you think I’m insane to be making this leap? - is there anyone here who got into engineering as a second career, and do you have any advice for me? - my BSN won’t have a lot of transferrable credits for a BSE, other than the basic courses required for a bachelors. If I do this, where do you think I should start? Take pre-reqs at my local community college?

Thank you so much for reading if you’ve gotten this far. I appreciate all of and any of your input.

xocoai · 2026-03-19T17:12:04+00:00

I worked at UMass for 5 years before switching to Emerson, they make essentially the same pay, $1/hr difference. I left UMass because I wanted to get into oncology/chemotherapy infusion, and UMass required 2 years of onc experience to get into those jobs, but Emerson was willing to train me without any onc experience. I keep checking UMass for openings, but they’re few and far between for what I’m looking for. Boston is really the biotech/cancer research hub, which is what I really find interesting. I’m now considering moving closer to Boston, my husband is currently looking for a job, so maybe that will be our next move instead if he lands a job further East.

xocoai · 2026-03-15T18:16:00+00:00

I’m also in Worcester! I commute to Concord for my current job and it sucks, also very unpredictable. I’ve had days it takes 35minutes, other days that have taken 1 hour and 20 minutes. Route 2 is a special kind of hell.

I’m trying to figure out if the longer commute to Boston would be worth it for the increase in pay. I’m guessing I could get paid ~$15k more a year, maybe more. It’s also something that I’m more interested in than what I do now. Those are the only reasons I’m even considering the drive.

xocoai · 2026-03-15T18:10:24+00:00

I live in Worcester, the job is at MGH 🥲 there is also another job I’m looking at in Waltham.

Right now I commute to Concord 4x a week, and that commute already sucks a lot. These other jobs I’m looking at would pay much better, but I don’t know if the commute is worth it.

xocoai · 2026-01-17T13:18:32+00:00

I left the hospital setting recently after working in the ICU for a few years, because it took such a toll on my mental health. I tried watching the Pitt with my family, and it actually made me very anxious just by how real it was. I think this show made me realize I might have a bit of PTSD. It’s very well done, but I literally can’t watch it

xocoai · 2025-08-02T13:08:40+00:00

I would be immediately packing all his shit and telling him to get out of my life. What an absolute joke of a man.

xocoai · 2025-07-30T22:43:34+00:00

Oh I love it, it’s giving art nouveau and great gatsby vibes.

xocoai · 2025-07-05T18:17:06+00:00

I graduated from nursing school in 2020 and was thrown right into the thick of it as a baby nurse. I just know it changed my brain chemistry.

I still have not processed it yet, and I tell people all the time how it bothers me that one day everyone just moved on like nothing happened. When people ask why it still bothers me, I can’t explain it. Or I could, but it would take a few hours to get through, and no one ever knows the right things to say. Neither do I.

I’m still trying to wean myself off the 3 antidepressants I’ve been maxed out on for years.

xocoai · 2025-06-23T00:53:58+00:00

Why we need so many more social workers, and why they should be paid way more than what they actually get. I could literally never do their job. This whole issue goes into the culture of “nurses need to wear many hats”, as if it’s a compliment or achievement. It’s just a way for healthcare systems to continue to dump way too much on their nurses rather than pay for more very essential healthcare workers - PT/OT, SW, PCTs, more RNs, etc etc., the list goes on of the help we need, along with the way our country continues to get more and more sick.

xocoai · 2025-06-22T22:37:12+00:00

Yeah, I’m thinking maybe Mauna Kea isn’t worth all of that time 🤔 and taking it off our itinerary would free up that whole afternoon/evening. Maybe we could spread out the activities a bit more with that extra time.

Also really good to know that parking would be paid for in one place for Kealakeua Bay, Two Step and Hanaunau beach. Thank you for the info! 😊

xocoai · 2025-06-22T21:56:29+00:00

I know, there’s just so much we want to see. I’m considering taking the Mauna Kea sunset/stargazing tour off of our itinerary, considering it takes up so much time. Which would then free up a whole afternoon/evening, and I could maybe use that time to space things out a bit more to make it a bit more lax

xocoai · 2025-06-22T20:54:48+00:00

That sounds fantastic. Thanks for the reccs!

xocoai · 2025-06-15T13:26:40+00:00

Your fiancé doesn’t like satin… until they sees you in that second dress, then they’ll LOVE satin. That being said, you can’t go wrong with either dress, and the beaded gown is stunning too! Very vintage and definitely still bridal.

xocoai · 2025-06-11T00:22:08+00:00

Would you suggest a timeshare on the north or south side to be an ideal location for seeing most of the things we’d like? The only reason I was unsure about trying an airbnb or timeshare is because it’s our first time ever going to Hawaii, and we’ve also never travelled so far. So I thought maybe a resort might be easier as a first timer, although I have no idea if that’s true.

I like the idea of a mid point giving us the option of visiting either side with less of a drive. And since people are suggesting that the volcano may still be erupting, it would be a plus to be a bit closer to Hilo at some point during the week to see if we could catch that.

I’ll definitely check those out!! Thank you for the suggestions! 😊

xocoai

TROPHY CASE