Conflicted Dreams: A Dental Student's Story

[teggenspiller]

So ever since I was a small child I wanted to be a dentist. Go to school for years on end, learning, then working, then teaching later on. However, I had a bit of a partying stage in my teen years where I didn't save a damned dollar for my self, and now that i have came back, and am done with 1st year of college my dreams have resurfaced. However, the reason i mentioned not saving a dollar is because I now live with my boyfriends parents.
I work 2 part time jobs in the mall.
point is, they think i should do something like get an A.A.S. for God's sakes so I can start making money faster and basically get the hell out of their lives. So to make things not seem so horrible for myself, I am trying to make dental hygiene ( a great career as well) suffice.

The parents seem to think this is a fabulous idea, along with everone else in my life, while I think to myself every day how I'm shortchanging myself on my real dreams. Howver, these two jobs in the mall may or may not hold out for the next 4-8 years until i get a real career.

So the question is; to pursue dental hygiene, shortchange myself, end up with an AAS degree, certification, or whatever it is. waste the 1.5 years of physics, chemistry, biology, physchology i ALREADY have and get some career training in the RDH field?

OR

get on everyones last nerves tattling away at a distant dream. / what if i didnt even get into dental school?
where would i live while in the hypothetical school?
and i suffering grandiose?
Does anyone see the conflict here?

* 11 hours ago
* - 4 days left to answer.

Additional Details
***ONE MORE THING***

I don't dare tell anyone (besides my sister) of my Dental Dreams.
I act undecided and tell them I want to get a degree in Biology. And the reason for this is I wasnt just any partier. i was a crazy drunk all the time passing out in your dad's bed, typa partier. So it almost FEELS insane to express to people what i want to do.,
like, my dreams seem so far fetched, compared to what I was/where i used to be that i don't even want to tell people. if that makes any sense at all
Second thing
I have a 3.9GPA
-biology
-chemistry
-physics
-psych1 and 2
-writng cmomunications
-1 year of signlanguage
-i know i need more, just puttin that out there.

 

[CyberShot]

I'm sorry, but such an important decision (also unrelated to physics) should not be made based off of input from strangers on a forum like us. Talk to friends, families, or school counselors.

However, I do think that you should follow your hearts desires to the extent that those desires are realizable.

 

[Choppy]

I don't think there's a right decision in this case. But some things to conder might be:

(1) Is the partying out of your system? Have you changed and are you ready to dedicate years of life towards your goal?

(2) If you are convinced that you've changed it will be easier to convince others. Tell people about your dreams, because people almost universally want to see others accomplish their goals and will be willing to help out. Your past is your past and you can't change that, but you can steer towards the future you want.

(3) For people that need to be convinced that you're serious, have a serious talk about your goals and plans. Then don't worry about others who have no bearing on the matter.

(4) Surround yourself with others who have similar personal goals. It will be a lot easier to stay focussed if your friends are all working towards the same things rather than trying to convince you that you need to go out partying.

(5) Come up with a financial plan for the whole thing. If that means working some crappy jobs, then so be it. You're not the first person who's had to work hard to get through school.