Retrained as a nurse at 48 after 20 years in retail management
The one thing nobody tells you
I cried on the way home from my first shift — not from stress but because for the first time in my working life I felt like what I did actually mattered.
| Happiness after | 5/5 · Much better |
| Stress after | 5/5 · Much higher |
| Financial impact | Slightly worse |
The conversation
This gave me goosebumps. I'm 45 and in retail management right now and have been thinking about nursing. Was the pay cut massive?
Yes, significantly less at first. But honestly the job satisfaction made up for it. Two years in now and the pay has caught up a bit. No regrets.