Career Change from Engineering with kids?

[lobsterlobster]

I am currently an engineer. I have made some progress in my career over but due to the bad economy my job market is poor now. I am a married mom with two kids ages 5 & 2 & one on the way.

 

PA school appeals to me for the same reason engineering did- I like science. Also, it appeals to me because I would like to have more interaction with people during my day vs my current job where I do a lot of computer work.

 

My questions are:

 

1. Are there any other engineers out there who made this same switch? How hard was the curriculum compared to engineering?

 

2. Other moms- How hard was PA school with kids? What kind of a schedule did you have?

 

3. Starting salary- My research shows that average salary for PAs is $80-120K, but what is the current starting salary? I live in WA for reference.

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who can answer these.

[UGoLong]

I was an engineer before I went to PA school. The program is doable for an engineer with the right prerequisites but (a) there is more memorization than I remember in engineering school (especially, for me, anatomy) and (b) the material comes much faster since there is so much of it to learn in your didactic year.

 

Here is a link to a book I wrote about the experience: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1479372099/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

 

As far as the mom angle and local salaries, I would suggest taking a day off and shadowing a local PA. Doing just that one thing will teach you more than sitting around and thinking about it.

 

A student I precepted is a mom and finishing up her program this year. I gather she doesn't mix much with the rest of the students, given the demands on her time.

 

Good luck!