Low GPA 2.6, post bacc being an assosiate degree or certificate?

[milery]

Hello, I graduated last year with a 2.6 GPA and my science GPA is 2.4. I have two D's, I am retaking one of those two D at a community college ( organic chemistry) the other D is in ecology in which I may not retake tbh because I didn't enjoyed the class. I registered for organic chemistry 2 to help my Sgpa but my dilemma is this.... my financial situation is starting to stress me out. I cant afford to take hard core science classes ( like I originally planned) in a degree that doesn't lead to a guaranteed career (biotechnology). so I thought of either medical laboratory technician or lpn.  I thought of these because #1 cheaper and faster option, #2 mlt has always sparked my interest and #3 I'm a cna ( almost 4 years) and I work closely with a lpn.  the lpn option I'm looking at is a certificate option because is only one year. my whole goal in this is to help my GPA and also have a career. I don't mind continuing to build my PA  application after this but I wanna make sure if doing any of these route will help me and not become a waste of time. 

if you guys have any other suggestions please let me know. the biotechnology degree I can finish it in a year but what if after that I'm still not a strong applicant? then I'm stuck with another degree... no career 

I don't care how long it takes to become a PA! I'm 24 years old and I already have a lot of financial baggage. I want to make a smart decision  

[rev ronin]

Your GPA needs work.  Until and unless you can get your cGPA and sGPA to 3.0 each, I wouldn't waste money applying.  If you want to be a PA someday, you need 4.0 on everything here on out.

With that said, I know LPN employment comes in waves: some places hire them, then replace with RNs, then replace with LPNs...  MLT is probably more stable, but also likely dead-end and not patient care experience.

Ultimately, it will be far easier for you to go from LPN to DNP while working.  It'll take years, but it should be a more gradual progression, rather than trying to get into a PA program after years of hard labor just to bring up your GPA.  Nursing programs are non-selective, compared to PA programs, and many programs are designed for working professionals, while PA programs are not.

[milery]

I appreciate your input. I thought of NP once before but it doesn't excite me like PA does. to me PA has many more pros than NP.