I'm already a nurse, so I'm planning on working as a nurse after I finish my CS degree this summer. I have an associates degree (2 years) in nursing, and pay i

I'm already a nurse, so I'm planning on working as a nurse after I finish my CS degree this summer. I have an associates degree (2 years) in nursing, and pay in the Bay area for nurses starts at about $35 an hour + 10-20% shift differential for working nights and weekends. A nurse fresh out of school starts at about $80,000 a year in this part of the country. And, there's a nursing shortage on, so if you have a pulse and a license, you can pretty much get a job. I work 3 x 12 hours shifts each week in the Bay area and I started with 4 weeks paid vacation a year and 1 week of educational leave. If I'm broke picking up a extra shift or two isn't hard, and if I'm plush, I can cut down to part-time fairly easily. I already work the night shift and sleep during the day, so keeping hacker hours and coding all night coding is no problem at all. Mind you, cleaning up other peoples effluvia is not my idea of a good time, and it's hard work. I've injured my back twice in twelve months. But, I don't think about code all day, so when I come home, I really want to program to get my mind off of work. I've really disliked my job for years (thus the career change), but in 6 months, I'm going to have 4 days a week free and clear to start my start-up while getting paid for full time work. So, that makes up for some of the down-sides.