I'm in the same boat, it's very tough going through this becaue in reality you and I haven't change but because of the loss of hearing we are going to have to change. I don't know about your friends, coworkers and relatives but even though they say they will be more understanding, you almost always get the feeling that your being avoided more and more.
It's very tough transitioning to a new lifestyle but it is necessary to surround yourself with people who do and will understand the new you. Going deaf later in life vs having been deaf all your life is very different. When your deaf your whole life it is who you are, nothing gained and nothing missed so hearing is really a useless thing-thats where I envy them. For me the worst thing about losing my hearing is losing the ability to communicate with community I knew all my life.
People like us have always relied on hearing to communicate so we have to start from scratch which takes relearning and lifestyle changes. Something thats not easy to do but it can be done and has been done over and over again. Progressive hearing loss will luckily give us time to adapt.
I am very greatfull for the deaf because thanks them there are many things that can help us transition into their world if need be like ASL, CI, HA, lip reading, hearing dogs, technology and so on. Also thanks to them we have many laws and regulations on our side now.
So the best advice I can give is to remember that you haven't changed personality wise but people will treat you differently because of the hearing loss. Job wise is the same exact thing but you can do it, just need to find the right career and the right company. Luckily-I think I have.
