I've been at my dream job for a week and a half now and I absolutely love it! The people are great, it's within walking distance of my house, and it's a place I can be proud to tell people I work there. Of course, the fact that I'm making more than I expected, and even hoped, is not too bad either. I get great holidays - a week at spring break, 2 weeks in the summer and another week or 2 during Christmas. The only downside is the 2 weeks in summer are right after I get back from Europe, so I'll have to get a temp to cover for me.

The first week I did mostly assisting - restorations, crown prep/insertion, endo (root canals) and extractions. This week I'll be busier with kids' recalls - cleanings, fluorides and x-rays. I had a difficult patient today with an extreme dental fear. The little darling refused to get in the chair, refused to lay back, refused to open his mouth....

We got through it, and I'm actually looking forward to next September to see if he's any better.

This working thing is expensive though. Before I even started, I had to get (and then renew) my licence, register with the College of Dental Surgeons, pay for membership in my association (CDABC), pay to attend the Pacific Dental Conference, the NDAEB exam...... and the kicker is, after buying several new sets of scrubs, I just found out that we're going to start wearing uniforms, in camel, olive and while, 3 colours that don't suit me at all.

Oh well. I love working where I am, and the best part? After months of being unemployed, my opinion is suddenly worth more, simply because I have a job.