Setbacks

So I have encountered somewhat of a setback in my plans for Nursing School. I am one credit short of what I need to get the full points to be competitive enough to get in to The Program. I thought I would be able to get this one credit (PE) out of the way during the May mini-term. It’s not looking like they are going to offer what I need during that time though. I have a few options, none of which are ideal, so I am struggling to figure out what to do now.

Option 1: Take a course that starts on the 22nd of this month. It is a hybrid course where all the book work is done online, however I am required to log 30 hours in 7 weeks at their workout facility. Doesn’t seem like too much of a big deal right? Well, here’s the thing: the facility I will have to go to is about 45 min to an hour away. I work a full time job PLUS I have my A&P class Tue and Thurs nights along with my online Art class that is also starting on the 22nd, and let’s not forget my kids I would like to see every now and then. In order to get in the full 30 hours I will need to leave work on Mon & Wed and haul ass to this place and put in at least 2 hours each time. I will also need to go on Saturdays. I will basically be gone all week long and I will never see my kids. The good thing about this class is that I can pretty much set my own schedule as far as workouts and it is flexible. Problem with that is that it might be TOO flexible and there could be a chance I wouldn’t get in enough hours.

Option 2: Take a late summer course that starts in July and goes until the end of August. This class is Monday – Thursday evening from 6-8pm. This one is at a campus that isn’t quite as far as the first option, but it is still a good ways away from home and work. Also, this class is cutting it really close to the deadline for applications for the Spring 2011 program. It would be risky in that if they don’t post the grades from this class in time, I would be screwed. Again, with this schedule, I would never see my kids.

Option 3: Take my 4 credit Micro class starting during the early summer which runs for 12 weeks on Tue and Thurs. The problem with this one is that it starts the week we have planned our Disney vacation (which has already been booked and paid for) I could risk missing the first week of class and hope that I won’t get dropped or fall too behind from the very beginning.

Option 4: Cancel our Disney trip. This one I really don’t want to do. The girls are already super excited about going and it will be our last big family vacation before things start getting rough for us financially due to me quitting my job.

Option 5: Put NS on hold until the Fall of 2011, still quit my job in December, and take a CNA course next Spring. This one is a tough one for me. I really don’t want to put NS on hold any longer than I really have to BUT I think getting my CNA prior to starting NS can be really beneficial. I would be getting some experience in healthcare before starting NS, which as my husband says, would be able to tell me if this is something I really want to do or not. Plus, it might be something I could continue doing while in NS which will really help us out financially. It might be naive of me to think this, but it might even give me a leg up with finding a job after NS since I would have some previous experience.

I am so unsure of which road to take. Do I sacrifice the time with my children in order to get into The Program as planned? Do I put it on hold for just a bit longer and gain some sort of experience that would hopefully help me someday but also comes with me not having a significant income for longer than expected? I hate having to make decisions like this. Why can’t anything ever be easy?