Microstory 284: Perspective Fifty-Nine

This is an experimental Perspectives microstory. The introduction can be found in Microstory 225. More to follow.

My job is just the worst. Forgive me, but all y’all are nasty. When I was in high school, my guidance counselor provided us with this completely baseless test to find out what kind of career we should pursue. Being the naïve and trusting kid I was, I agreed to go with what they said. I skipped the four year school and opted for an associate’s degree instead. I have to do the same thing every day, which is just brutally boring. I don’t know why I didn’t realize that I wouldn’t like that, but I’m regretting this whole thing. People have terrible breath, and they take such poor care for their teeth. It ain’t that hard. You put paste on a brush, get it wet, and rub it all over your teeth. You do this at least twice a day, floss, and don’t eat anything weird. I found an obsession with brushing my teeth while I was training to be a hygienist, but I wasn’t always so religious about tooth care. Yet I’ve never had one cavity, or any other major problem. I ultimately needed braces, but that was more of a cosmetic decision. Dental hygienists are so underappreciated. The dentist comes in to see the patient for two minutes, five at most, and what do you say? You say that you “have a dentist appointment”. Ain’t nobody talks about going to hygienist, even though that’s what you’re doing, if it’s just a regular checkup. Everyone said the pay would be great, and it’s certainly not minimum wage, but there are some caveats nobody said anything about. I spent a lot of time paying off student loans, and there are a bunch of insurance problems that go over my head. And I’m one of the lucky ones, because I was able to secure a position at a dental office. With all these lies, there are too many people looking, and not enough places to work. Take my advice and stay away from the field. I’m trying to get out of it. Clown school.