Talk me into becoming a speech pathologist.
February 27, 2012 2:07 PM Subscribe
Talk me into becoming a speech pathologist (Work-to-Live version)
After about a year and a half of slowly and deliberately plotting a career change (out of print journalism and into speech pathology), I am now, as of this week, one huge step closer to my goal; I got accepted to a master’s program.
Which is thrilling. And, weirdly, totally anxiety-inducing—as it puts me one step closer to taking a very scary leap.
Here’s the deal: I’ve felt angst-y and hopeless about my current career for years. It’s actually what brought me to Ask Metafilter in the first place. Since about 2009—the year newspapers and magazines began their irreversible nosedives—I’ve cruised the green for new career ideas, obsessively reading every “what should I do with my life” post I could find. Luckily, there’s some great stuff here. I’ve recently found inspiration in this post, and in this right-on-the-money, gem of a response from smoke.
Anyway, I came to the conclusion a while back that I’m a work-to-live guy. I don’t need—or even want, really—my job to be my passion. I’ve already tried that route with the writing thing, and it left me a miserable, stressed-out wretch. So I started investigating stable, reasonably well-paid Plan B careers that I could smoothly transition into.
I ultimately landed on speech pathology. It had the practical appeals I was looking for—the sunny job outlook, the decent salary, the wide range of work settings, the reasonable lifestyle. It leveraged my skill sets and academic interests. But also, having shadowed a few therapists and interviewed about a half dozen more, the work truly began to intrigue me intellectually and tug a little bit at my heart. I’m pretty certain this is something I could do, and probably do well.
But I can’t get beyond the fact that it isn’t my passion. It’s a Plan B. A good Plan B, I think, but still a Plan B. And that bit of knowledge makes me question my resolve to plow through with grad school plans (i.e. student loans).
So, for all you work-to-live people out there, especially those who returned to school to get into their current comfort zones, was practicality a sufficient enough motivator?
And for you speechies, what do you absolutely love about your jobs? Do you think it would be a good fit for someone who prefers to work to live? Did you have a burning desire to become a speech pathologist or was the profession something you grew into over time?
Again, I’m close to making a pretty positive change in my life, here. But my career angst is getting in the way.
So please. Talk me into becoming a speech pathologist!
After about a year and a half of slowly and deliberately plotting a career change (out of print journalism and into speech pathology), I am now, as of this week, one huge step closer to my goal; I got accepted to a master’s program.
Which is thrilling. And, weirdly, totally anxiety-inducing—as it puts me one step closer to taking a very scary leap.
Here’s the deal: I’ve felt angst-y and hopeless about my current career for years. It’s actually what brought me to Ask Metafilter in the first place. Since about 2009—the year newspapers and magazines began their irreversible nosedives—I’ve cruised the green for new career ideas, obsessively reading every “what should I do with my life” post I could find. Luckily, there’s some great stuff here. I’ve recently found inspiration in this post, and in this right-on-the-money, gem of a response from smoke.
Anyway, I came to the conclusion a while back that I’m a work-to-live guy. I don’t need—or even want, really—my job to be my passion. I’ve already tried that route with the writing thing, and it left me a miserable, stressed-out wretch. So I started investigating stable, reasonably well-paid Plan B careers that I could smoothly transition into.
I ultimately landed on speech pathology. It had the practical appeals I was looking for—the sunny job outlook, the decent salary, the wide range of work settings, the reasonable lifestyle. It leveraged my skill sets and academic interests. But also, having shadowed a few therapists and interviewed about a half dozen more, the work truly began to intrigue me intellectually and tug a little bit at my heart. I’m pretty certain this is something I could do, and probably do well.
But I can’t get beyond the fact that it isn’t my passion. It’s a Plan B. A good Plan B, I think, but still a Plan B. And that bit of knowledge makes me question my resolve to plow through with grad school plans (i.e. student loans).
So, for all you work-to-live people out there, especially those who returned to school to get into their current comfort zones, was practicality a sufficient enough motivator?
And for you speechies, what do you absolutely love about your jobs? Do you think it would be a good fit for someone who prefers to work to live? Did you have a burning desire to become a speech pathologist or was the profession something you grew into over time?
Again, I’m close to making a pretty positive change in my life, here. But my career angst is getting in the way.
So please. Talk me into becoming a speech pathologist!
I'm a speech pathologist. At first it was my Plan B, but since being an artist didn't seem to be too profitable, I chose this instead. I am passionate about helping people, and this started out as just a way to do it. But now it definitely has grown into my passion. I couldn't imagine what I'd do if I couldn't be in my school district.
However, I do know some SLP work-to-live people. They're very content. If you can do it and do it well, it's a nice job. You just need to find your niche.
Feel free to memail me if you have questions.
posted by christinetheslp at 2:46 PM on February 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
However, I do know some SLP work-to-live people. They're very content. If you can do it and do it well, it's a nice job. You just need to find your niche.
Feel free to memail me if you have questions.
posted by christinetheslp at 2:46 PM on February 27, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Two helpful responses. Thanks guys. And yeah, christine, I'll be sure to holler. Need all the insight I can get.
posted by sureshot at 3:04 PM on February 27, 2012
posted by sureshot at 3:04 PM on February 27, 2012
two parts:
I'm opposite. I'm almost all a work-to-live person, but I decided before I figured that out that I should go into a Passion with a capital P. Four years of several changes and grad school later, I'm back in the work-to-live, but lucrative and good-at-it career I left before. I'm happy for now.
Speech Pathologists:
My sister and other people I know who are speech pathologists ABSOLUTELY love their careers (sometimes they are not happy with their individual offices/districts/administrations). They seem very much like the people who wouldn't be happy unless they love their careers. I don't think most of them dreamed of being one until college or beyond, however.
posted by sandmanwv at 3:18 PM on February 27, 2012
I'm opposite. I'm almost all a work-to-live person, but I decided before I figured that out that I should go into a Passion with a capital P. Four years of several changes and grad school later, I'm back in the work-to-live, but lucrative and good-at-it career I left before. I'm happy for now.
Speech Pathologists:
My sister and other people I know who are speech pathologists ABSOLUTELY love their careers (sometimes they are not happy with their individual offices/districts/administrations). They seem very much like the people who wouldn't be happy unless they love their careers. I don't think most of them dreamed of being one until college or beyond, however.
posted by sandmanwv at 3:18 PM on February 27, 2012
I am a second year SLP. I fell into this career because it made sense, not because I had an overwhelming passion for the job. Like you, I saw good career prospects, a chance to help people, the variety of work environments, etc.
I LOVE my job as an SLP. I work at an elementary school, a middle school, and part-time for a home health company. Basically everyday, something happens that makes me glad I do what I do. I love working with kids, I love that I am never directly responsible for a child for more than an hour, and I love that there is a mix of working with people and doing more "in my head" work like writing evaluations. I am treated like a professional and I feel respected by my co-workers and administration. And I personally feel like I am compensated well for what I do.
While I love my job and am very passionate about it, I have no problems leaving my work at work. I am very much a work to live person. I'm sure it varies depending on where you work, but I am able to get my work done in 8 hours. I never stay after school, though I might do lesson planning at home every now and then. And I have the benefit of having 10 weeks for summer, and several other long breaks throughout the year. That is a HUGE plus for me. I can only speak to my work environment, of course. I have no idea how hospitals work, for example.
It is normal to have second thoughts this close to a life-changing experience. But if you are looking to be talked into it, I can do that no problem! Good luck!
posted by afton at 3:58 PM on February 27, 2012
I LOVE my job as an SLP. I work at an elementary school, a middle school, and part-time for a home health company. Basically everyday, something happens that makes me glad I do what I do. I love working with kids, I love that I am never directly responsible for a child for more than an hour, and I love that there is a mix of working with people and doing more "in my head" work like writing evaluations. I am treated like a professional and I feel respected by my co-workers and administration. And I personally feel like I am compensated well for what I do.
While I love my job and am very passionate about it, I have no problems leaving my work at work. I am very much a work to live person. I'm sure it varies depending on where you work, but I am able to get my work done in 8 hours. I never stay after school, though I might do lesson planning at home every now and then. And I have the benefit of having 10 weeks for summer, and several other long breaks throughout the year. That is a HUGE plus for me. I can only speak to my work environment, of course. I have no idea how hospitals work, for example.
It is normal to have second thoughts this close to a life-changing experience. But if you are looking to be talked into it, I can do that no problem! Good luck!
posted by afton at 3:58 PM on February 27, 2012
I just read this off of the BLS website's description of Speech Pathology: "Although the work is not physically demanding, it requires attention to detail and intense concentration. The emotional needs of clients and their families may be demanding."
These kinds of demands could be just what you're looking for, or they could make you miserable! There's really no way to tell until you try. But don't assume anything about yourself. I'm a lawyer and I never considered myself a people person; I pictured working on my own on fancy appellate briefs. But as it turned out, I actually really enjoyed faster-paced, client-based work. I even enjoyed the challenge of dealing with my clients' emotional needs (even when they were completely off-the-wall). I also imagine that you'll have to connect with all kinds of clients as a speech pathologist: unattractive ones; mean ones; smelly ones; poor ones; tragic ones; hopeless ones; totally ungrateful ones. Would you be able to handle that, or would you get burned out?
posted by yarly at 4:03 PM on February 27, 2012
These kinds of demands could be just what you're looking for, or they could make you miserable! There's really no way to tell until you try. But don't assume anything about yourself. I'm a lawyer and I never considered myself a people person; I pictured working on my own on fancy appellate briefs. But as it turned out, I actually really enjoyed faster-paced, client-based work. I even enjoyed the challenge of dealing with my clients' emotional needs (even when they were completely off-the-wall). I also imagine that you'll have to connect with all kinds of clients as a speech pathologist: unattractive ones; mean ones; smelly ones; poor ones; tragic ones; hopeless ones; totally ungrateful ones. Would you be able to handle that, or would you get burned out?
posted by yarly at 4:03 PM on February 27, 2012
I don't know where you are, but if you are within reasonable travel distance and have some spare scratch and are free on March 17th, 2012, come to the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress' annual conference in Worcester, MA, Why? Because Libby Kumin will be there. She wrote the book(s) on SLP in people with Down syndrome. She is amazing and don't you think you could use some amazement?
posted by plinth at 4:56 PM on February 27, 2012
posted by plinth at 4:56 PM on February 27, 2012
I am a teacher based on this logic and I would advise against it. However, horses for courses and all that.
posted by bquarters at 5:22 PM on February 27, 2012
posted by bquarters at 5:22 PM on February 27, 2012
I like being the UK version of an SLP. I work with adults with all kinds of communication and swallowing difficulties. I like the intense people-time I get. I like problem-solving in very difficult situations to make people's lives better. I feel very happy when people tell me I have changed their life positively.
However, it can be extremely emotionally intense and if you are not the sort of person that thrives on that then it can be exhausting or anxiety provoking. It will put you together with people who are angry and grieving and desperate and that takes energy. If you work with adults your clients will often die. You may find that work situations trigger very intense memories of personal situations (e.g., parents deaths). I often stay late to finish work. In the UK the pay is not fantastic and the jobs are extremely rare, but I'm sure that is different for you. This may all be stuff you can take in your stride but you should at least consider whether you can remain 'work to live' in those kind of situations.
posted by kadia_a at 10:30 AM on February 28, 2012
However, it can be extremely emotionally intense and if you are not the sort of person that thrives on that then it can be exhausting or anxiety provoking. It will put you together with people who are angry and grieving and desperate and that takes energy. If you work with adults your clients will often die. You may find that work situations trigger very intense memories of personal situations (e.g., parents deaths). I often stay late to finish work. In the UK the pay is not fantastic and the jobs are extremely rare, but I'm sure that is different for you. This may all be stuff you can take in your stride but you should at least consider whether you can remain 'work to live' in those kind of situations.
posted by kadia_a at 10:30 AM on February 28, 2012
I'm a school-based speech therapist, and there are, of course, pros and cons about the job. I also found my career as a plan b, due to good career prospects and liking work with older adults or kids, more than people my own age.
Being in the schools as an SLP is a DEMANDING job. All the things teachers say about being frustrated and overworked is true for speech therapists in the school setting. I'll start with the bad news: You are often the only speech therapist in your school/multiple schools, so there are times when the work piles up and you are the only person who knows anything about speech, and consulting with collegues is difficult, as least in person. Caseloads vary a lot by state--some states have a max of 40 students per therapist in the schools; others have no casload limit, and it is not unheard of for therapists to have over 100 kids on their caseload in some states. The paperwork is daunting. It takes 3 meetings and about 35 pages of paperwork in my district to find a kid eligible for speech, and about the same amount to dismiss a child, even if they are working on relatively simple issue like a lisp. Because caseloads are big, you pretty much always have at least a couple kids you feel like you aren't helping as well as you should be able to, or like you aren't seeing the progress you'd like to see. There are also a lot of continuing education hours to put in on the side-10 hours per year for your speech license, plus whatever teacher licensure your district requires, plus more if you have a state license. Also, speech therapists bill medicaid in the schools, which offers an additional element of liability and more time after hours to complete billing.
On the plus side: You truly can change many children's lives. I feel like a superstar at my school (in elementary ages). Kids WANT to come to speech and like the attention of small groups or individual sessions. Because you are the only speech therapist in your school most of the time, you have the flexibility to make speech WHATEVER YOU WANT. If you are bored in your sessions, it's your own fault! I've practiced articulating the names of Star Wars characters, and made gingerbread playdough, and had kids make their own books on tape with their own illustrated stories and recorded readings this year. You are usually in charge of setting goals for your students and helping them get there any way that works, using their interests and your own. There is a big need for speech therapists in both schools and hospitals, so you will pretty much always have a job *somewhere.* Some districts pay SLPs the same as teachers, while other districts offer additional incentives, in part to help with the costs of maintaining your speech license. While you definitely will EARN your breaks, and use some of your breaks for continuing education, there is a lot of scheduled time off in the schools.
I can't speak as much about the hospital or rehab setting, but I'm sure those settings are demanding as well, with added liability under the medical model, and possibly less paid time off and possibly weekends/holidays spent on call. These settings generally pay better than the school setting, though. Some speech therapists also work with accent modification for ESL speakers, or in private speech clinics, or as consultants for schools or businesses. It is a really varied field, and if you don't like one setting, you have the flexibility to try something totally different without going back to school for another degree.
It's really hard to decide what you want to do for a career, and there are pros and cons to any job. I think that if you like working with people and helping people, and can get energy from that rather than getting burnt out from it, speech could be a good option for you. But, I also think there are probably better paying jobs that are less demanding if you just want to do a job and leave work at work until the next work day.
posted by shortyJBot at 4:18 PM on February 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Being in the schools as an SLP is a DEMANDING job. All the things teachers say about being frustrated and overworked is true for speech therapists in the school setting. I'll start with the bad news: You are often the only speech therapist in your school/multiple schools, so there are times when the work piles up and you are the only person who knows anything about speech, and consulting with collegues is difficult, as least in person. Caseloads vary a lot by state--some states have a max of 40 students per therapist in the schools; others have no casload limit, and it is not unheard of for therapists to have over 100 kids on their caseload in some states. The paperwork is daunting. It takes 3 meetings and about 35 pages of paperwork in my district to find a kid eligible for speech, and about the same amount to dismiss a child, even if they are working on relatively simple issue like a lisp. Because caseloads are big, you pretty much always have at least a couple kids you feel like you aren't helping as well as you should be able to, or like you aren't seeing the progress you'd like to see. There are also a lot of continuing education hours to put in on the side-10 hours per year for your speech license, plus whatever teacher licensure your district requires, plus more if you have a state license. Also, speech therapists bill medicaid in the schools, which offers an additional element of liability and more time after hours to complete billing.
On the plus side: You truly can change many children's lives. I feel like a superstar at my school (in elementary ages). Kids WANT to come to speech and like the attention of small groups or individual sessions. Because you are the only speech therapist in your school most of the time, you have the flexibility to make speech WHATEVER YOU WANT. If you are bored in your sessions, it's your own fault! I've practiced articulating the names of Star Wars characters, and made gingerbread playdough, and had kids make their own books on tape with their own illustrated stories and recorded readings this year. You are usually in charge of setting goals for your students and helping them get there any way that works, using their interests and your own. There is a big need for speech therapists in both schools and hospitals, so you will pretty much always have a job *somewhere.* Some districts pay SLPs the same as teachers, while other districts offer additional incentives, in part to help with the costs of maintaining your speech license. While you definitely will EARN your breaks, and use some of your breaks for continuing education, there is a lot of scheduled time off in the schools.
I can't speak as much about the hospital or rehab setting, but I'm sure those settings are demanding as well, with added liability under the medical model, and possibly less paid time off and possibly weekends/holidays spent on call. These settings generally pay better than the school setting, though. Some speech therapists also work with accent modification for ESL speakers, or in private speech clinics, or as consultants for schools or businesses. It is a really varied field, and if you don't like one setting, you have the flexibility to try something totally different without going back to school for another degree.
It's really hard to decide what you want to do for a career, and there are pros and cons to any job. I think that if you like working with people and helping people, and can get energy from that rather than getting burnt out from it, speech could be a good option for you. But, I also think there are probably better paying jobs that are less demanding if you just want to do a job and leave work at work until the next work day.
posted by shortyJBot at 4:18 PM on February 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
So ... you need to think about things like: whether you like to work on a lot of short-term projects with short-term rewards, or if you like longer-term, bigger projects? Do you work best with a lot of externally imposed structure and immediate tasks, or can you do ok with vaguer, self-directed goals? Do you like working intensively with people (this one seems especially important for speech pathology)? What kind of organization do you work well with -- will you do ok in a bureaucracy with a lot of rules (eg, school or hospital setting)? Do you need to have control over how you work and the decisions you make, or can you deal with a lot of interaction & management & "teamwork"?
posted by yarly at 2:29 PM on February 27, 2012 [1 favorite]