You won't earn less money... all your employer will care about is the "RN" on the end of your name.
I got a diploma, no bsn. I wish I would've got the bsn. Now that I want to be a nurse practitioner, I have an extra 2 years to go... meaning 4-5 years total to get my ANP. If you ever want your bsn, it'll take you an additional 2-3 years to get it later (most schools only give about 35-40 credits for a diploma, and the bsn requires about 120). If you just want to be a bedside nurse, and you know you'll never want to be more, just get the 3 year RN. If you think you may want to be an NP one day, I strongly suggest getting the bsn to start with. Also, if you think you'll just want to be a bedside nurse, that may change when you get in school and actually start working. I thought I'd only want to be a bedside nurse also... I've been out one year and can't wait to get away from the bedside.
Jeremy