What life should be but isn't

Growing up I watched my mother struggle with three kids and said I wasn't going to do that. I wasn't going to struggle. It boggled my mind as a child how she could go to work and still be so broke. She was always so tired and cranky but I loved being around her anyway cause she was my moms. After she got a better position in the hospital we were able to enjoy life a little better. I always thought that you had to start at the very bottom (like below dirt) and make your way to the top. I never told my mother but I was proud of her and still am. To be able to support your family without an education and without asking for nothing is something to be proud of.
After that I watched my sister work hard. She worked at MC Donald's for a while and then moved onto a job in Express clothing store downtown. She worked there and at NYU at the same time.
I always assumed work was serious. No play time. Time to put your game face on because your going to war.
Now that I am in the workforce I have to be smart about what I choose to do and how long it's going to take for me to get there. I intend to change my major to nursing over the summer so I can start in the right direction towards my goal. I know nurses are making big money right now and the position will always be in demand. I want to be able to buy my moms a house before I'm thirty. I don't want to work hard anymore, I just want to work smart.