Changing careers at 17 years into a job, is it realistic?

I want to move from dental hygienist to something with more stability. I worked as a dental hygienist before this. My family is supportive but nervous. How did you start?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 7 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.

Try a small project in the new field before committing. It told me a lot about whether I would enjoy it.