I want to be a nurse when I graduate Highschool, could someone answer some questions for me to make sure it's the right path?

Hey! The first thing I wanted to ask is the difference between working for a private or government hospital. There's a really good private hospital that's well-known in my area, and right next to it is a VA.

Also, is it true that it's easy to get a job in nursing? I always hear people talk about how hospitals are short-staffed and will hire anyone with a degree but that doesn't sound quite right. My dad always told me to go into medicine since I'll "100% be able to pay off my student loans"

Another thing with that is pay! I looked up the statistics from my county and nurses make the same amount as public school teachers, 40k-70k. This doesn't sound right with everything they do. I've seen many people throw around 100k+ salaries and I'm wondering if it's just a difference in state/country? In my state, a living wage is 60k, so I assume I wouldn't be living uncomfortably. Does working OT change this, and if so how much would you have to work?

The last matter is benefits and break time. Do you guys get a lot of paid sick days/time off? Do you get to relax often? At my local private hospital, they work 12-hour days interchanging between day and night shifts every few days. I've always thought" Well obviously they get break days to readjust their sleep schedule", but I've never asked so I'm not sure. I don't even know if this schedule is industry standard though, so please let me know what hours you work!

Lastly, what area do you work in? Is it easy to switch departments if you want? Do you need special education to go into something different? Do you regret becoming a nurse? What are the pros and cons? Sorry for the huge interrogation but if I start doing community college classes for nursing (as a high schooler), I was told it's a bit hard to switch later on and so it's nerve-wracking. If I were to go into nursing I would be doing wound care, phlebotomy, ER care, or neuroscience.

TLDR; What's the difference between private and government hospitals? Is it true getting hired in this field is easy? What's your current and starting salary? Do you work overtime often and how does it affect your pay? Do you get paid sick days? How much break time do you get? What does your work schedule look like (how many hours a week/day)?