I seriously could NOT have stated this in better verbalization than this!!

((soon 2b de-plateau ticker)) HA

I'm an RN and I love my job. I work in dialysis and am on my feet almost the entire shift. I think this is a good thing and I greatly prefer it to some of the other nursing jobs I have had -- the RN is often saddled to the desk and documentation rather than actually interacting with patients and providing care. So it's important to think about a specialty and what you would prefer to be doing.
Yes, there is unhealthy food available. You don't have to eat it. I've lost 40+ pounds in this environment just by bringing my own food, hydrating on my breaks, and scheduling exercise outside of work.
Just my .02. I'm glad I don't have a job where I sit at a desk all day (or night) long.

Yay for nurses! There is a great forum called Allnurses that y'all might want to check out. I agree with some posters that nursing is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. I was at my heaviest when I graduated nursing school and during my first year. I'm a School Nurse now, so my work envorinment is much less toxic than the hospital floor, but I'm chained to my office so it is pretty sedentary. Ironically I am much fitter now because I have energy to do actual exercise in my spare time. When I finished 3 12's on the hospital floor it did take the next 4 days off to recover. Was a bad time for me.

Another word of caution for 2nd career folks...the hiring environment has changed for nurses. New grads in many areas of the country are having trouble getting hired (not everywhere, but many places). There is lots of discussion of this on Allnurses. If you are going to need to work when you graduate and cannot either relocate or afford to wait quite some time for a job offer, think carefully before you take the leap.

Good luck to you all!

I don't currently work b/c I'm busy raising my two sons but I love to write and I'm thinking when they get a little older that I might want to write some freelance fitness articles for websites, etc. If I was younger (like college-age) I would definitely pursue a career as a personal trainer. And my secret dream is to train for a fitness competition (for gals over 35). I've been told by a few trainers that I have what it takes but I'm too chicken, lol. It's funny how being in better shape changes your view on everything.

I kept my nerd job by day, but I moonlight as a spin instructor. Besides ACE certification there is AFAA - check in at your local gyms for which one is more recognized in your area. I won't be quitting the day job anytime soon because teaching group exercise is not exactly a huge money maker in my case, but it's something I thoroughly enjoy. What other job gives you the opportunity to make people sweaty and red faced and they thank you for it after?

My brother has been a nurse for over 25 yrs., the first 15 in a VA hospital (which he wished now he didn;t leave) and then private practice. He is grueling, the hours, short staff and him being a male - the constant can you come help lift........ well, it is catching up to him in his mid 50's, It is such a tough job and very bad hours. I do commend and honor these fabulous people. The system has to change though, it is "high" burn-out.

I've been wanting to go to nursing school. Not really for weight loss (although I admit I would probably count the walking around as physical activity), but it seems like a career that will always be in demand, good hours and good pay.

Some folks make it sound so stressful though, and I do have problems with back pain sometimes so I don't know if that will be an issue. I'd probably prefer working with kids also. Maybe a doctor's office instead of a hospital will be less stressful?

I noticed becoming a LPN can be done within a year or so; how good would that be?

Allnurses is a great site to read about nursing. Like other fields, nursing is taking a hit right now because the economy is tough.

From what I've read, many doctors offices rarely hire nurses these days, usually medical assistants. LPNs are most often hired in nursing homes. I'm also not sure if nurses really have that great of hours and the pay is ok but there are other fields that pay more.

If you wanted decent hours and decent pay without a lot of schooling, I'd probably recommend something like a physical therapist assistant or a dental assistant.

thanks, I will look into those.

I also see dietitian/nutritionist looks like a good job.

Awhile back I seen an opening to work at Weight Watchers... If I was closer to my goal I might have applied for it.

i've actually been thinking about it quite a bit. i currently work in a professional office environement (i started here just after my 3rd year of university) and I will be graduating in a couple of weeks.

I have considered both the pros and cons of an office job, but at the end of the day, you work your 8 hours a day, and then you work out. it's predictable, but it's dynamic. i would love to get some certification and teach fitness or exercise classes in the near future, but not as a full time career but rather as a second 'part time job' in order to lets say, get a free gym membership in exchange for classes taught.

but then again, i believe that you can have it all

Dietitian is generally challenging to get into and you'll need a BS/MS. I have a friend who is working on being a dietitian and internships are required. She was stressing about getting an internship even though she was paying for it, there is a lot of competition. Luckily, she did get the internship though but many people didn't get one.

I've been sitting in this office from 9-5 every day for the past 6 years.. Its good because of job security (that's why I'm still here; also its a family business I 'married into') but its not my passion or even what I really want to be doing. As for what I'd want to do, I think it would have to do with animals, computers or cars, but school would be over an hour away for the 1st and 3rd choices.

Last Sept, I decided to take a Zumba Instructor Training workshop. I got certified to instruct for a year, but I did it in kind of the same mindset you have, Goddess Jessica- I didn't really plan make a career of it, but it was great training to improve my personal zumba knowledge. It was a blast! An all-day workout, zumba all day long with short discussions in between. Well worth the fee, because I also got a dvd/cd bundle, manual, and a 1-year instructor certificate. Will I teach zumba though? I don't know. It would be fun, but I've never taught a class- I've always been a student. I still think about being a fitness dance instructor though. Yesterday I started comparing the ACE and AFAA Group Fitness Certifications (because most fitness centers want one of these, not just a Zumba Instructor Certificate).

Good luck to anyone who does make (or is considering making) a career change into something that you actually want to do. Keep us posted- I'd like to hear some tips and stories too! I really like chick in the hat's method: keeping the day job and teaching a group class in evenings.. That sounds nice!!