Shawn Frost will tell you he's always considered himself "more back strong than head strong." His decision to make the switch from manual labor to nursing, therefore, might seem like a surprise. But after 17 years, he felt it was time for a change.

"I was able to provide for my family before," says Shawn, "but it was just a job."

With two sisters working in the nursing field, it seemed like a good fit. Not knowing where to start, Shawn called the Director of Nursing at McCullough-Hyde Hospital to get an expert opinion and they pointed him toward Ivy Tech Community College.

Even after deciding where to go to college, Shawn still had questions. In his mid-40's, at twice the age of many college students, how well would he fit

in? Did he have what it takes to learn? Could he afford to quit his job and go to school full time? It had been nearly twenty years since Shawn was last a student, but what he found at Ivy Tech helped him gain the confidence he needed to get started.

"They bend over backwards to be supportive," Shawn states. "The faculty vary in teaching styles, but all of them are willing to answer your questions."

That willingness to help is especially important in a program as demanding as nursing. Those who wish to enroll in Ivy Tech's nursing program must first demonstrate their ability to excel academically. But with healthcare experiencing a boom in Indiana, more students like Shawn are seeing the value in doing the hard work it takes to have more lucrative, rewarding careers.

And while making such a significant change can be challenging personally and academically, sometimes the hardest part is just getting started. For Shawn Frost, after years of looking forward to something better, now there's no looking back.

"I wish I had done this twenty years ago."