u/sexxxysasuke

Both of my parents ended up passing away in fall 2018 when I was 19, and after that I stepped away from school entirely.
Since then, I’ve been working at a restaurant and currently work as a shift lead. I’m grateful to have steady work, but I don’t really see much long-term growth there, and I’ve realized I want an actual career for myself — not just another job.
Over the past few months, I’ve been researching careers that realistically take around 3–4 years of schooling and seem stable, practical, and achievable for someone in my situation. I’ve recently become really interested in dental hygiene. I live in a really big city, and from what I’ve researched, it seems like the field offers pretty solid pay, tolerable hours, strong job demand, and decent work-life balance. It also seems less burnout-heavy than careers like nursing or teaching, and I like that it feels relatively safe from AI replacing it.
Academically, I’ve always excelled in science classes, but I’ve also struggled with procrastination and consistency in school. My local community college offers a dental hygiene program, and honestly this feels like the most realistic path I can see myself successfully completing right now.
I’d really appreciate hearing from people already in the field.
How difficult was your dental hygiene program overall?
What classes or requirements were the hardest?
How competitive was admission into your program?
Did you work while in school, or was the workload too intense?
Do you feel the pay is worth the schooling and stress?
How is your work-life balance now?
If you could go back, would you still choose dental hygiene?
Has anyone regretted going into the field? If so, why?
Are there any downsides to the career that people don’t talk about enough?
I’m trying to make a realistic decision about my future, so I’d appreciate any honest advice or experiences even if you aren’t currently doing this position. If you work closely to those who do I’d appreciate hearing from you as well.

Both of my parents ended up passing away in fall 2018 when I was 19, and after that I stepped away from school entirely.
Since then, I’ve been working at a restaurant and currently work as a shift lead. I’m grateful to have steady work, but I don’t really see much long-term growth there, and I’ve realized I want an actual career for myself — not just another job.
Over the past few months, I’ve been researching careers that realistically take around 3–4 years of schooling and seem stable, practical, and achievable for someone in my situation. I’ve recently become really interested in dental hygiene. I live in a really big city, and from what I’ve researched, it seems like the field offers pretty solid pay, tolerable hours, strong job demand, and decent work-life balance. It also seems less burnout-heavy than careers like nursing or teaching, and I like that it feels relatively safe from AI replacing it.
Academically, I’ve always excelled in science classes, but I’ve also struggled with procrastination and consistency in school. My local community college offers a dental hygiene program, and honestly this feels like the most realistic path I can see myself successfully completing right now.
I’d really appreciate hearing from people already in the field.
How difficult was your dental hygiene program overall?
What classes or requirements were the hardest?
How competitive was admission into your program?
Did you work while in school, or was the workload too intense?
What is the day-to-day job actually like?
How physically demanding is the job long term?
Do you feel the pay is worth the schooling and stress?
How is your work-life balance now?
If you could go back, would you still choose dental hygiene?
Has anyone regretted going into the field? If so, why?
Are there any downsides to the career that people don’t talk about enough?
I’m trying to make a realistic decision about my future, so I’d appreciate any honest advice or experiences.