I believe there are pre-reqs for nursing school (including biology and chemistry) before one could enter an accelerated program. I realize most people on this board already have those.
Nursing does not require a bachelors degree, but does have a few prerequisites that you could polish off in a semester or 2. There are 1-year (LVN or LPN) and 2-year programs (RN) at many community colleges. RN pays better, of course.
I've thought a lot about dropping out of programming to do it, but my mom dissuaded me - she recently ended her 30-year career as an RN.
If you enjoy nursing, after a couple years of experience you can go on to get your NP (and I believe work full-time/half-time while you are doing it - and/or get it paid for by a hospital).
NP's can bring in 150K outside bay area and often have better schedules/flexibility than physicians.
