First, don't call it a traditional Roth. That'll confuse people. You probably mean a traditional IRA.
Second, that monthly pension amount probably assumes you'll stay there and work for the next 30 years or so. If you plan to retire in 5-8 years, it would be wise to ask them what the pension amount would be based on leaving in 10 years. Also, pensions are usually back loaded, so you can't simply take the $1800 and divide it by 10 years / 30 years and get $600 a month. It usually doesn't work that way.
To your main question, yes, it's impossible to make good decisions without a plan. What I have done and advised my kids to do is make a plan and work the plan, but be willing to change the plan if it's not working out for whatever reason.
So maybe your plan A is to be a dental hygienist for five years and do AirBnB as a side gig for the next five years, then stop working altogether. Once you have the plan, you can put some numbers to it and decide if a Roth conversion ladder will make sense. Then you could look at a plan B and evaluate that. I'd suggest going all in on plan A, but many others would suggest hedging bets between plan A and plan B, especially if they're radically different plans and/or you're entirely uncertain which plan you'll end up doing.
Generally, a Roth conversion ladder works very well when you've got a higher income while working, then have a lower income when early-retired, and are trying to reduce tax-deferred accounts to avoid high RMDs when you're 72. Which may or may not describe your situation once you figure out your plans.
Good luck!
