In the beginning...

It's funny how life has its cycles.

When I was newly married, I looked into becoming a dental hygienist. We were living in Spokane, Washington, and I was intrigued by the career field. I even interviewed with the director of the school there. My husband was supportive. But in the end, I was young and impatient. Two years seemed too long to wait to start making money! So, I got a job at a credit card center. I don't have any regrets about that -- it gave me a lot of confidence and many great experiences.

I worked for many years, then had three beautiful children. I've spent the last 17 years raising them, and that's been very fulfilling. As my husband, who was an officer in the Air Force, neared retirement, we did our best to make informed decisions for our future. But due to unforeseen events in the economy, he ended up unemployed for nine months. I got a job as a secretary at an elementary school but soon realized that it would be only a short-term solution. At the same time, I was realizing that I would be an empty-nester in a matter of a few years. I wondered what I would do with my time. It seemed obvious that I needed to think about a new career.

So, here I am today, revisiting dental hygiene.

I've researched careers. I want a flexible schedule, one that allows me to make it to cross-country meets or field trips. I want to make good money. I want to work with people; I loved that about the elementary school. I don't want to spend years in school either. Dental hygiene came up as an option over and over. The future of dental hygiene looks great! Baby boomers are aging, and people are keeping more of their teeth. I have a good friend that is a dentist; I asked him what he thought. He said it was a great idea and offered to help. I also found that a nearby community college has a dental hygiene program. This looks like the career for me!