How hard is 74D AIT and what are the options and jobs a new 74D junior enlisted can experience?

I am Former Drill Sergeant from the Chem School (Chem is no longer OSUT) . To answer your question there itself is not that hard for the 74D10 level. As basic Dragon Soldier you will learn the basics of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Operation. What that entails is learning Decon, Recon, Smoke. Detection, protection, and effects of agents. You will also learn CBRN Room operations and how to maintain all the equipment. One of the most critical tasks you will do in AIT is the Chemical Defense Training Facility (CDTF) where you will be operate in a live Chemical environment. The cadre will deliberately contaminate area with VX nerve agent. You will actually see him/her place a live roach on a vehicle and the roach will die. Then you will employ the portable decon systems (whatever is in the Army’s inventory) to the vehicles in the facility. Once training is complete, the soldier will have to diff chemical protection gear using the exiting procedures. The last item to be removed will be the mask once you make it to the clear side. You will be in the buff with your mask on taking a shower. Then you will be moved to an area an given “all clear” to remove mask and get dressed. You will also conduct a convoy live fire and advance range learning the small arms I.e. .50 cal and MK 19. You will conduct two FTXs during AIT in which the last FTX you will conduct as a chemical platoon with primary focus on decon ops and force protection. That’s it in a nutshell.

Plenty of opportunities post military
Focus on obtaining a specialty if possible. Tech Escort will open a lot of doors
Recon
BIDS
Smoke has been turned over to the Engineer Corps.

This is best summation I can give.

Most 74Ds are the CBRNE Specialist for a company, any company. They usually have more senior CBRNE NCOs/Officers at BN, BDE, and DIV. USR is a monthly requirement in which they crunch many of the numbers. They maintain all the CBRNE equipment in a unit and provide training to the unit on CBRNE tasks and equipment like detection of agents, personal decon, protection, unmasking procedures and deliberate decon. The vast majority are in an other than NBC unit.

Chemical Companies are usually the big three: recon, decon, smoke. The conduct chemical reconnassaince with the M93 Fox and similar systems. The provide the expertise and equipment for a deliberate decon of a unit (pax and vehicles). They provide battle field obscurants, most commonly smoke. They lay smoke in support of maneuver units. Recently WMD Response teams have popped up in the Guard and Reserve side that have chemical soldiers along with radiation specialits and EOD.

The training at fort Leonard Wood was pretty cool. Got to go through the chemical defence training facility, trained with live nerve agents, deconed and all that high speed low drag mess. I enjoyed the training and had a reasonably good time learning how to live and fight in a contaminated environment. We even got to use turbine smoke generators which was neat. It was hotter than the hinges of hell's gate in the summer though, mopp 4 was no fun at all but then again I guess it never really is.