Career Detour

Fifty Years - Two CareersThinking of a career change? 30% of the American workforce does it yearly, and job losses during a pandemic have made it even more likely. Take a journey with the author and watch a kid interested in science, math, biology, and medicine enter a career in mechanical engineering, designing computers at IBM Corporation. A quarter century later in the early 1990s, portions of the computer industry underwent a major upheaval, causing the author to seriously investigate a complete career change. His casual interest in medicine and dentistry took on an entirely new meaning, as he spent months pondering whether he could make such a drastic career detour into the medical field.He decided to take the plunge and set sail into uncharted waters, learning a new language - that of the human body. Once again, he did it at Broome Community College, in Binghamton, New York, where his first quarter century career began. Follow him through his half century of two completely different careers, and see how his lifelong interest in dentistry led to a new career as a male Registered Dental Hygienist.His book has been written to be an enjoyable read for everyone, because the stories are all true, interesting, and down to earth. People dealing with a career change will certainly enjoy it. Dental hygiene students and new dental hygienists will gain valuable insight into their chosen career, and medical and dental office staff will undoubtedly find some of the stories similar to theirs. Both males and females will gain insight into a career change where their gender doesn’t typically enter a career dominated by the other gender. After over a half century of allowing males into the dental hygiene profession, male dental hygienists are becoming more common; but still make up only about 6% of all dental hygienists.  His stories cover the gamut; from the humorous to those that show the satisfaction a dental hygienist receives by being part of a team of professionals that help make a real difference in their patient’s lives. Never boring, his stories of life as a Registered Dental Hygienist will give everyone hope that such dramatic career changes are possible.