i'm new to this...hi, i'm 49, i've been a nurse for 17 years, with many spent working myself into a corner (albeit a specialty.) it all served me well until i left it over a year ago because i was burned out. too much resposibility, sicker pts, managed care, feeling like i needed to try something new. i went to south america as a volunteer nurse. IT WAS GREAT. but i had to come back (i was out of money) and now after a trial in medical device sales (ugh), a second trial in community health (i got fired!), my year in a poverty stricken village, and years in a specialty that was not acute nursing, I cannot find a job!! still can't believe i got fired!! i am freaking out! there are all these jobs but the field seems brutal and unforgiving...