Kristy felt that healthcare jobs are much more secure than corporate ones. And she’s not wrong. As per the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for registered nurses are set to grow by 5% between 2024 and 2034.
The corporate world is going through a rough patch, and the job pressure is something else altogether. Kristy Layden, a 45-year-old, knows this all too well. After facing a tough time, she decided to switch to a completely different field. Kristy was a senior manager at a big e-commerce retail company, but she lost her job in early 2025. For over a year, she kept trying to find a new job, but nothing worked out. Finally, she decided to leave the corporate world behind and start studying to become a nurse.
At first, Kristy focused her job search on product management roles. She later widened her search to include project and program management positions. Over the course of a year, she sent out more than 250 applications, but only got a call back for the next round from 25 of them. As the months went by, the endless search started to really hit her confidence. To make ends meet financially, she had to ask her parents for help, sell her jewellery and handbags, and even dip into her savings.
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Why she chose nursing
Kristy felt that a career in healthcare offers much more job security than the unpredictable corporate world. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for registered nurses is expected to grow by 5% between 2024 and 2034. She is particularly interested in becoming a nurse anaesthetist or working as a nurse injector in the aesthetics industry. Kristy also believes that her new career path is safe from being taken over by AI technology.
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A new beginning at 45
Kristy is currently enrolled in an online accelerated nursing program, which she expects will take about two years to finish. She’s managing the costs with loans, financial support from her family, and by taking up some side jobs. ‘I am starting all over again from scratch, and I know I’m not young,’ Kristy says. Despite the challenges, she is determined to see it through and plans to work in the nursing field right up to her retirement.