I need outside advice because I feel really stuck and I don’t know if I’m overreacting or not.
I recently finished the school portion of a denturism program in Halifax but I failed a few classes. My plan was to return in September and finish the program. In the meantime I wanted to stay in Halifax and work for a few months while I figured things out and built some independence.
However my dad is strongly against me staying in Halifax. He said he won’t pay for my apartment there and thinks it makes more sense for me to come back home and work in the family dental lab as a dental technician instead.
The issue is I don’t feel fully aligned with that path anymore. I’ve also been looking at other job opportunities outside of dentistry while trying to figure out what I want long term.
When I bring up doing something different my family reacts very strongly. They’ve said I would be wasting everything if I don’t continue denturism or take over the family business. They’ve also said I would owe them 100k if I don’t take over after graduating.
On top of that the situation at home has become very tense. Arguments have escalated and I’ve been called things like selfish and stupid during disagreements. I’ve also said things back in anger so things are not calm right now.
Right now I feel stuck between a few options. Go back home and work in the dental lab but I feel pressured and unhappy with this path. Stay in Halifax and work while preparing to return to school in September but my family is strongly against it and thinks I will fail or get fired. Or stay with other family I have in Kentville Nova Scotia which is more stable than my current home but I did feel quite lonely there before. Or continue the program in September and finish it even though I’m unsure if denturism is what I want long term.
I also have a boyfriend in Halifax and opportunities there which makes staying feel more meaningful to me personally but my family is very against it.
I just don’t want to lose my apartment. I’ve put a lot into it. I have furniture there, my own space, my privacy and real independence for the first time. It doesn’t feel like just a place to live it feels like I finally have my own life and control over it. The idea of going back home feels like losing that and going backwards especially after getting used to being on my own.
I feel like no matter what I choose I’m either letting someone down or being told I’m making a huge mistake.
I’m trying to figure out if I’m being unreasonable for wanting independence and to stay in Halifax while working, if it is realistic to stay and work while being in this program again in September, and how people handle intense family pressure when career path and independence don’t align.
Any advice would really help because I honestly don’t know what the right decision is anymore.