OK well, if you are open to advice, please be willing to be told things that you may already know and may seem a bit schooling. Firearms carry probably the biggest responsibility of anything in this world. Your first question shouldn't be what kind of weapon to carry, but "How do I know if I'm ready for this responsibility"!!!!
First of all, you need to be in full understanding of what you are carrying this weapon for and how much responsibility is involved. Life and death situations involving firearms can instantly turn into the worst situation even with the best of interests. As I said, you need to fully understand why you are carrying this weapon. Bottom line, you are carrying this firearm to KILL another human being in a defensive attempt to keep them from taking your life. If you haven't already, I strongly advise that you contact your local county or state law enforcement and find out where you can obtain all information on state and federal laws regarding firearms and self defense laws. And I mean ALL of them. You need to know these laws so you can say them in your sleep. Chances are you will never be in a situation where you will have to take that action, but if you ever are, you need to be aware of EVERY possibility and be able to act on it in an instant using that knowledge. Even if someone attacks you and you are in fear for your life and you take theirs, and then later find out that what they were pointing at you was just a piece of pipe or a plastic gun, then you have just committed manslaughter. Thats just one out of a million possibilities. I apologize if I seem like I am riding you on this a lil or even trying to deter you. I'm not. I carry as well and have guns in my house and I strongly believe in self defense. It's just your first choice for a carry weapon shows me that you have not fully thought this through. You do not want to use a .22 caliber weapon to defend your own life against an attacker who has just shot heroin and wouldn't even notice right away if you drove a car through him. All you would do is tick him off and he's prolly going to take the weapon from you and either shoot you with it or beat you senseless with it. I would advise anyone who is considering carrying a concealed hand gun for self defense to take a lot of time to research laws, past cases and really search your own soul and ask yourself if you are prepared to take another human life to defend your own. I'm also assuming you have already participated in some sort of gun safety course. In my state, it is required before you can even go into the sherriff's office to apply or ask for the paperwork.
As far as a good carry weapon, TAKE YOUR TIME. Spend a little time looking at different retailers. Spend some time looking at different makes and models. Google them and do some research. Ask friends you know who have a few to take you out and try them. This allows you to get different feels and at the same time gives you practice. If you're going to pull a gun on someone to defend yourself, you better know how to shoot. In any and all situations that may arise, using the weapon is ALWAYS your last resort. You need to decide what kind you are comfortable with, revolver or semi-auto. Semi-auto is nice and easier to conceal generally but also have a higher fail rate. Some revolvers are a lot smaller these days. You need to find the right caliber, and NO, a .22 is not the right one. You might have one as a back up pcket pistol. You need to use a caliber that will stop an attacker, not go clean through them. You need to be able to judge each situation in it's own in an instant, your surroundings, houses, other people, children, how much and what type of a threat your attacker is. There is SO much that needs to be considered here. I personally like the .40 caliber. Police officers started using them a lot after too many 9mm rounds went through too many perpetrators and did further damage elsewhere. It's a big enough caliber that it will stop someone but not so much that it's gonna go through him, 3 buildings, 10 walls and 2 cars before it finally stops 8 blocks away after penetrating someones engine block like a .357 magnum. A .380 automatic or a .38 revolver are nice, too.
I really just suggest that you take a long time and really research everything. You are already doing that here. That's good. There is just so much more to consider, though besides what kind of weapon to carry. And, again, I apologize if I'm telling you anything you already know or seem like I am harping. But you asked for advise and I have been around firearms all of my life. I am even teaching my children about firearms and the safety and responsibility involved. Also, no matter how much you may know already or maybe think you know, this is truly one of the most important responsibilities in the world. Take your time and really make sure you are ready and comfortable and all the right choices will come to you.
Oh, and BTW, have fun. Firearms are also a great sport as well. But remember, safety, training and responsibility come first!!!!!!!
Just remember, there is one thing you have to be absolutely, positivly, without a shadow of a doubt sure of before you even begin to ponder the idea of carrying a concealed firearm and should have been made sure of before you even paid the $25 fee. And that is that you are completely ready and willing to take another human life. If you can't answer that question without the utmost slightest hesitation, you have no business even applying for the concealed handgun license. The seriousness and importance of this are unscalable.