31 Aug
From Law to Nursing with Hector Chavez (TFLP 055)
Do you think that you’re too old to change careers and quit law? My guest today, Hector Chavez, decided to make the move from law to nursing right before his 40th birthday. He knew he wasn’t happy with his legal career. But he worried that starting over at 40 was foolish.
Today he’s sharing about how his worries were totally unfounded and why you shouldn’t let the imaginary barrier of age stop you from making a career change that’s right for you.
Meet Hector, who made the move from law to nursing
Hector is a former lawyer turned registered nurse. Hector has worked as a nurse for eight years, acquiring significant bedside progressive care, stepdown, and telemetry experience. During that time, Hector accrued four years of experience as a travel nurse at several premier medical centers.
Previously, Hector practiced immigration law, worked as a document review attorney, and worked as a lawyer for the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Today, Hector shares about:
- Starting college thinking that he would become a doctor, than changing his mind.
- Deciding to go to law school after spending three years in a fundraising job that he didn’t want to stay in forever.
- Finding a job in immigration law, the only field of law he was really interested in.
- Putting his legal career on hold twice to care for ailing family, and choosing to do temporary document review work to facilitate that.
- Planning to return to a full-time legal career in his hometown of NYC, until 9/11 upended his plans.
- Applying and being admitted to a chiropractic school in Florida, moving, and realizing only two weeks after he moved that it was a mistake.
- Finding himself unemployed in a different state where he wasn’t even licensed as a lawyer.
- A friend suggesting that he volunteer somewhere when he was trying to figure out where to go next with his career.
- Within three month of starting a volunteer position at a local hospital, the light bulb going off: “I’m supposed to be a nurse!”
- Being on the verge of his 40th birthday and deciding to go back to school to get an accelerated nursing degree.
- Why making a big career changes requires a lot of planning and introspection.
- Why he doesn’t regret being a lawyer.
- How having been a lawyer makes him a better nurse.
- What you should do if you know that you want to quit law.
Connect with Hector:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hectorc/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hec631/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/nursehec/
