On one hand, you don’t want your children to leave the nest because you will miss having them in your life on a daily basis. Then again, the day that your last child officially grows up, finishes high school, goes off to college, and then maybe even comes back home for a few years before leaving for good brings most parents a lot of relief. Finally, being done raising kids is a huge badge of honor, but it can also leave you with more free time than you expected to reflect on your life.
You might look at the best DNP programs and start seriously looking at how long it would take to get your degree in a completely different field. With nothing left to stop you from pursuing your dreams, why not go for broke and make a major change in your career path.
The options are almost endless, with the chance to pursue work in fields that always interested you, such as entertainment, travel, or the fashion industry.
How to Go Back to School Without Missing a Single Beat
Chances are that when you do decide to go to college for DNP entry for nurse practitioners, you won’t be the only older mom or dad who recently had the last of the kids leave home. You’ve got loads of freedom now and you don’t have to make dinner if you don’t want to or even worry about anyone else being in your home when you’re away. So, you can study all day in the living room while sitting in your underwear, if you want to receive a degree in a different area of study. Hopefully, all your friends will be happy for you and offer the moral support you’ll need to tackle your studies.
Maintaining a Social Life as You Prepare for a Huge Life Change
Although you’ll likely celebrate with friends as soon as you have your home back completely to yourself, it’s going to be challenging going for a career change soon after having an empty nest. On one hand, you’ll want to host dinners at your house every Friday night, but then again, you have to be determined when it comes to keeping up with all your study materials. Plan to spend the most time with your friends when you have lengthy college breaks, and during the summer.
Applying for a Job After a Career Shift
Unfortunately, you will need to do a substantial amount of explaining when you go on your first interviews after making a career change. For instance, those who have been working in retail might want to tell future employers why they decided to go into healthcare while in their 40s or 50s. Note that it isn’t legal for employers to discriminate against you for making a notable career change when you’re middle-aged. However, you should have a short explanation prepared as to how your past job experience can actually be a benefit to you on the job because of your unique life experiences.
Some older parents have an epiphany and decide to become foster parents after the last of their biological children leave the home. Then you have other empty nesters who pack up, sell their houses, and never stay put for more than a couple of months in a row. If you think that changing your career is going to make life that much better, then go for it.
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Like!! Thank you for publishing this awesome article.
>Although you’ll likely celebrate with friends as soon as you have your home back completely to yourself
I dunno, it’ll be a long time before my nest is empty and just thinking about it even now makes me pretty sad. But maybe once they become teenagers I’ll feel different about the idea of them going off to college, haha.