Right, well, the thing is that I have been mulling over and over the idea of training as a midwife. It feels 'right' to me - although it is a million miles away from anything I have ever done before. It would mean lots of changes and lots of sacrifices. I need some good MN advice on whether I'm mad to even consider it.
At the moment I have a part-time job which suits me brilliantly in terms of flexibility etc but is totally unchallenging and a bit of a dead end. It's also not very well paid at all - so much so in fact that training as a midwife would probably bring in more money - I think I would be eligible for a single-parent, one-dependent bursary which would be more than I earn now.
However, training would be full-time and based in London (1 hour+ commute each way). Ds would be just over two years if I started Sept 2005 and starting school when I graduate. I feel like I would miss out on a hell of a lot as I love being able to spend the time with him now. And of course the practical, hospital-based stuff would include shift work and nights, wouldn't it?
Plus, doing this would mean, effectively, that I can't move from where I am now - at my parents' place. This has benefits in that I wouldn't have to worry about someone looking after ds and he would have the stability of staying in one place, plus free accomodation (!!) but do I really want to be living with my mum and dad at the age of 35?
The idea of training really excites me. But it's a total change (I've got a publishing/journalism background) and the last thing I would want is to get halfway through and give up. Is this realistic? Any thoughts?