Schooling?

[CamilaCabello]

Hey everyone! This is my first time posting a personal post seeking out advice, so bare with me.

I recently turned 21 on the 27th of April and I feel like this switch just happened. I've been thinking so much about my schooling and what I want to do with my life. I literally stay awake at night, stressing and wondering what I'm going to do. How I'm going to make something of myself and it just really tears me down.

A background on my college experience:
In August of 2012, I signed up at my local community college to be an administration of justice major. I took one of the major requirement classes, decided after three weeks (one week after of the drop date / opportunity to add on classes) that that wasn't the field I wanted to go into and dropped that class. That left me with an entire semester wasted, basically. I took my other classes, but I always felt so crappy because there was that credit slot I was missing out on. I switched to the paraprofessional in human services major, to be a social worker because at the time, it felt right. I got to the point where I was two classes shy of getting my AA in that field. Then I decided that that wasn't the career path for me. This past August, I switched my major (AGAIN!! I know! I'm fed up with myself too!) to child development. I loved the classes at first and here I am, once again, a few classes shy of getting my AA in child development and I just feel like I've fucked up again. It's not even that I don't want to pursue a career in it, it's that I don't think I'll be able to handle everything it takes, especially with such little pay.

So now I'm here. I've been doing a lot of research recently and there are a few fields that have taken my interest. I really want to be an ultrasound tech. Like, really bad. The problem is that the program here requires me to complete a course in another area of study (veterinary technology??) before I can do that. From my initial look at the program, it looked like something that could be completed in two semesters. I was feeling very optimistic about it. I figured that I could complete the program, work as an RVT while I went on to do the DMS program and once I completed that, I could do what I wanted. The problem is, I just took a closer look at the RVT program and it's basically going to take 4-5 years to complete.

I know I'm only 21 but I feel so old! By the time I'm finished with that program, I'll be 26 and then it'll take another two years to become an ultrasound tech. I'm so mad at myself because if I had known what I wanted to do with my life when I was 18, I could be finishing up the RVT program right now and getting started on the ultrasound tech program.

I guess what I'm asking is - would it be worth it? To pursue the RVT program to get to what I really want? Or because of my history, do you guys think that it'll end like everything else, I'll get close to graduating and just say nah, never mind? Another option I had is joining the dental assistant program here. It's two semesters long and I would get a decent annual income from it. But I'm not sure if it's something I would enjoy for the rest of my life, you know? I don't want to work a crappy minimum wage job until I'm almost thirty.

I'm sorry this is so long and ranty but gah. I'm just at a loss and I'm looking for some advice. Thank you so much to anyone that took the time to read this and offers advice. It means so much to me.

[blackbetty]

Have you looked into vocational school training? We have schools here where you can literally go just to be an u/s tech.

[ja14]

I was similar to you. Started college, kept changing major, which resulted in wasted classes, time, and money. I knew a few people who had did this dental assistant program that was only ten weeks (classes on Saturdays only) and got jobs right away. So I decided to do that so if make more money while I decided what I actually wanted to do. Well now, I'm finished with school and I work in a pediatric dental assistant. I LOVE my job. I may go into a different speciality, but I do not want to leave the dental field. I thought about going to become a dental hygienist, but ultimately I don't think that would be a good decision for me, however it may be for you if you end up liking dental assisting.


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[CamilaCabello]

Have you looked into vocational school training? We have schools here where you can literally go just to be an u/s tech.

I've tried, but I haven't found anything close to me. Maybe I'm not looking in the right areas? Do you have any recommended websites I could look into? There's also a junior college that's about an hour from me that offers a two year program for u/s tech, but that's after I complete two-three semesters of prerequisites. So it's really more like four years. Maybe I should go talk to a counselor down there and see what they have to say :/

[CamilaCabello]

I was similar to you. Started college, kept changing major, which resulted in wasted classes, time, and money. I knew a few people who had did this dental assistant program that was only ten weeks (classes on Saturdays only) and got jobs right away. So I decided to do that so if make more money while I decided what I actually wanted to do. Well now, I'm finished with school and I work in a pediatric dental assistant. I LOVE my job. I may go into a different speciality, but I do not want to leave the dental field. I thought about going to become a dental hygienist, but ultimately I don't think that would be a good decision for me, however it may be for you if you end up liking dental assisting.


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I love kids so it crossed my mind that it would be fun to work in a pediatric dental office. What were your feelings before going into the field? Like was it solely to make better money while you figured yourself out or did you think that maybe you would like it but just weren't sure?

Also, what are the biggest pros and cons of the job, if you don't mind my asking? Being able to talk to someone who works in the area might provide me a better insight and help me make a better decision! Thank you!

[longhairdontcare1006]

Are you located in the US? If you are I'm not sure what this would be called there, but to take something like Ultrasound Tech here you go to what is called a second career college. There are a few schools here who offer Medical Sonography but not many at all, not in my area at least.

We sound a like, I went to school for just General Arts and Science, which is basically like a Bachelor of Arts but College instead of University. I then went into Business. Now I'm constantly back and forth between what I want to actually go for. I go between Nursing, Hairstyling (which was my plan in highschool), and Educational Assistant. I always try to find a reason to settle for one, but I know I will regret it, and it will just be more student loan debt

Is there anything that you've always 100% loved but just have not gone after? That is me with hairstyling.

[ja14]

I was similar to you. Started college, kept changing major, which resulted in wasted classes, time, and money. I knew a few people who had did this dental assistant program that was only ten weeks (classes on Saturdays only) and got jobs right away. So I decided to do that so if make more money while I decided what I actually wanted to do. Well now, I'm finished with school and I work in a pediatric dental assistant. I LOVE my job. I may go into a different speciality, but I do not want to leave the dental field. I thought about going to become a dental hygienist, but ultimately I don't think that would be a good decision for me, however it may be for you if you end up liking dental assisting.


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I love kids so it crossed my mind that it would be fun to work in a pediatric dental office. What were your feelings before going into the field? Like was it solely to make better money while you figured yourself out or did you think that maybe you would like it but just weren't sure?

Also, what are the biggest pros and cons of the job, if you don't mind my asking? Being able to talk to someone who works in the area might provide me a better insight and help me make a better decision! Thank you!

I mean I thought it was something I might like long term, but I wasn't a 100%, so my purpose was making more money until I figured it out.
The pros- great hours, off on holidays, some offices offer bonuses, you usually get benefits, 9 different specialties you can work it (plus some offices may vary) so you have lots of options in the specific things your doing. If you hate one office, there's probably 20 more within commuting range (lol more or less depending where you're located) ... You won't make a ton of money, but if you get with a good office I hear you'll continue to get raises, more paid vacation, etc. there's room to grow your responsibilities too if you would like that. After a while, you may also like to carry your skills over to the office side of things and get into management.
Cons- sometimes it sucks feeling like your at the bottom of the totem pole. Technically at my job I'm a hygiene assistant, so in a way they are above me more so than in another office (this is the only office I've worked in) .. If you were working chair side with a dentist I feel like you'd feel more important, if that makes sense lol in my office our doctors have their own chair side assistant that is with them while they work and even at the surgery center with patients under general anesthesia. But with "feeling important" it's also very stressful because you have to be on top of your game, and another things with chair side I've heard stories of dentist just being plain mean. So I guess it depends how you are under pressure, but that goes back to there's other things you can do in the field.
That was a lot of rambling, I could go on and on, but I'll stop for now. ... Sorry if there's typos, it's bedtime for me!


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[ja14]

I was similar to you. Started college, kept changing major, which resulted in wasted classes, time, and money. I knew a few people who had did this dental assistant program that was only ten weeks (classes on Saturdays only) and got jobs right away. So I decided to do that so if make more money while I decided what I actually wanted to do. Well now, I'm finished with school and I work in a pediatric dental assistant. I LOVE my job. I may go into a different speciality, but I do not want to leave the dental field. I thought about going to become a dental hygienist, but ultimately I don't think that would be a good decision for me, however it may be for you if you end up liking dental assisting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I love kids so it crossed my mind that it would be fun to work in a pediatric dental office. What were your feelings before going into the field? Like was it solely to make better money while you figured yourself out or did you think that maybe you would like it but just weren't sure?

Also, what are the biggest pros and cons of the job, if you don't mind my asking? Being able to talk to someone who works in the area might provide me a better insight and help me make a better decision! Thank you!

I mean I thought it was something I might like long term, but I wasn't a 100%, so my purpose was making more money until I figured it out.
The pros- great hours, off on holidays, some offices offer bonuses, you usually get benefits, 9 different specialties you can work it (plus some offices may vary) so you have lots of options in the specific things your doing. If you hate one office, there's probably 20 more within commuting range (lol more or less depending where you're located) ... You won't make a ton of money, but if you get with a good office I hear you'll continue to get raises, more paid vacation, etc. there's room to grow your responsibilities too if you would like that. After a while, you may also like to carry your skills over to the office side of things and get into management.
Cons- sometimes it sucks feeling like your at the bottom of the totem pole. Technically at my job I'm a hygiene assistant, so in a way they are above me more so than in another office (this is the only office I've worked in) .. If you were working chair side with a dentist I feel like you'd feel more important, if that makes sense lol in my office our doctors have their own chair side assistant that is with them while they work and even at the surgery center with patients under general anesthesia. But with "feeling important" it's also very stressful because you have to be on top of your game, and another things with chair side I've heard stories of dentist just being plain mean. So I guess it depends how you are under pressure, but that goes back to there's other things you can do in the field.
That was a lot of rambling, I could go on and on, but I'll stop for now. ... Sorry if there's typos, it's bedtime for me!


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