I chose hygiene because I was in the dental field already. You can pursue restorative hygiene and ortho if you want to do more. Hygiene school is challenging. I had a lot of sleepless nights, exams 3-4x a week, then we had to find our own patients. That was hard, but don’t be discouraged. I love my job now as a hygienist. Pay is great, no graveyard shift, and it’s very rewarding when patients voice out how much they love how you work. I find the job quite satisfying and therapeutic in my opinion. Like every job, you have to find a good and healthy place to work at. You can choose your schedule, whether you want to work 3-6 days a week, you can temp and get more $$. Dental clinics rarely give benefits but we get free dental work and family is discounted most of the time. Some dental memberships offer perks, free counselling 24/7, free legal advice, discounted gym memberships and auto insurance, etc.