I'm a nurse by choice, not by default.
/My time in high school
Attended high school in the
1980s
Overall high school experience
8/10
Grades in high school
A's and B's
Best subjects
English, Math
Struggled with...
Trigonometry-but mostly due to a teacher with a bad attitude. Chemistry was a close second, just couldn't wrap my head around it. (That lasted all the way through college!)
Favorite extracurricular
Arts / Crafts
Life since high school
“[I stayed] together with my college boyfriend too long. I missed out on many opportunities to meet new people, and maybe ignored chances to have the family I first dreamed of. ”
Attended college / university at
CSU Chico.
Majored in
Starting majoring in Psychology, turned that into my minor by sophomore year, and majored in Nursing.
Post-graduate education or training
Became a Certified Pediatric Nurse, but that didn't require another degree, just general education and a test.
Places lived in US
California
Current occupations / past occupations
RN at a children's hospital and also at a community hospital. Worked for a temp. agency during college at various Silicon Valley businesses.
Industries I've worked in
- Administrative and Support Services
- Health Care and Social Assistance
Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Yup.
Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
See above: changed my major from Psychology to Nursing by sophomore year in college.
A little introspection...
To me, being successful means...
Having good family and friends to share the ups and downs with. Especially the downs. Also, making enough money to pay the mortgage every month. I don't need to have expensive things, the newest car, or travel everywhere, but I like having a stable place to live and good people to share it with.
My definition of success has not changed over time.
My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
Getting my BS in nursing, then working as a nurse. I've always been paid well with a flexible schedule, compared to many others. And now I realize I sometimes know more than new doctors, enabling me to help my patients more by catching errors. I never thought that day would come!
My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
Staying together with my college boyfriend too long. I missed out on many opportunities to meet new people, and maybe ignored chances to have the family I first dreamed of.
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My favorite spot in or around Palo Alto
Downtown in the 70's. Too upscale and trendy now.
