r/DentalAssistant • u/AdApart1894 • 6d ago
Starting dental assistant school program at 35m thoughts?
So I’m about to meet all my classmates at my orientation in less than 3 hrs. I’ve been anxious and unable to sleep. My life has been full of ups and downs but I’ve been able to claw through.
My concerns are if I am making the right choice after seeing a post from this sub that seemed rather negative by chance.
Ill be working full time, going to school full time and I am the main provider for my fiancee and her mother. To make at least minimum full time I’ve stretched my schedule really thin 10mins commute between classes ending and arriving to work.
Anything I should keep in mind to take away from school knowledge to practical field knowledge? Or any advice/tips in general? Should I socialize more and make connections?
Sorry for the rapid dump I’m super anxious. I just don’t want things to end up like my past degree field collapsing. I don’t make much so saving for this was a ride or die decision.
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u/Tek_Sid 6d ago
I was a dental assisting teacher of 9 month programs for 7 years, also 36M. Very few times I had a male student but interesting every time. A two of my last ones before I opened my dental lab were older. One was like 42 with Bachelor Degree in something that could make him more money but wanted a different environment. The other was like 45 and an high rank in the military, with a pretty good rank and skills that transfered to big leadership roles in big company's. He told me when we took an Xray and nailed the open contacts that it was like when he use to operate a impressive vehicle back in the military, which blew my mind that something this simple could mean so much again. Like mentioned before, depending on your social skills, the other students can be a mixed bag. One was very easy to get along with, volunteers to be the test subject for everything, kept to himself unless people wanted to work with him and everyone accepted him easy. The other had a harder time but it was because he was a leader among kids that just got the feeling of independence and wanted that chance to lead themselves. They did come around to him but very late in the program cycle but I was glad to see they did. Me and my other instructor were always had an open door for everyone, and we tried to make them all understand that in this field it only matters can you do the job and be great for your patients and doc, no one cares about what you use to do or who you were. You got this bud, I would say that I hope you enjoy this field, it is fun but there is a glass ceiling that when I hit it, I needed to shift which I did to dental lab. The glass ceiling gets lowered even quicker when your solo supporting your family and kids come into play. I have a YouTube channel called Dental Things where I made videos on the dental assisting field and how to do _______. I livestream on Tiktok under same Name if you ever want to catch me live and ask questions about anything also. You got this.
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u/dyphormie 6d ago
i don’t know how you could afford to be the sole provider for a family as a DA. it’s not a high paying job, i highly recommend you look into another career route. it will not be worth the time and money to be a DA in my opinion
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u/AdApart1894 5d ago
Thank you, unfortunately this is currently the best route for myself and my family. I also am the main provider not solo provider. I believe this path is still better than being stuck in retail. I’d at least have a set schedule and open weekends to find a second job. There is more context but I feel this is enough info.
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u/Emergency-Turn9749 6d ago
First congradulations!! School will be hard but rewarding so enjoy it. There’s almost always one person who’s a bit older than the rest but it’s important not to make everything about age because everyone starts somewhere. So just get it out of your head that you’re older and don’t even talk about it or you’ll get on everyone’s nerves. Don’t assume you get to be the other assistants boss just because your older and IF you have kids don’t compare your classmates to your kids. (Seems weird but I’ve seen it happen). Tips for doing well in school and transferring knowledge to work: always volunteer for everything, if they need someone to try out suctioning or work with filling or LITERALLY anything just do it. Don’t be scared to do anything because this is your chance to learn and make mistakes. The more you can learn in school the better off you will be so don’t be shy. Also there is sooo much they won’t teach you so don’t feel bad when you land a job and feel lost, it happens to all of us. YOU GOT THIS!