Speech-language pathology is ranked #3 in Best Health Care Jobs and #10 in 100 Best Jobs overall. As a speech-language pathologist, you’ll work to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat a variety of communicative disorders. Beyond just the technical aspect of the job, becoming an SLP is incredibly rewarding. You get to help others in need, continuously educate yourself, and work in any setting you choose!
Take it from me. When I was in college, I changed my major 6 times before landing on my major, communication sciences and disorders. What specifically drew me to the field was the number of endless opportunities and versatility SLPs encounter. Working in a variety of different settings, spanning from pediatrics to geriatrics, through all walks of life, I knew committing to becoming a SLP would provide me with a lifetime of continued learning, growth, education, and fulfillment. Here are just a few reasons on why you should become a speech-language pathologist!
You can work in a variety of different settings.
What I love about the field of speech-language pathology is how versatile the employment settings are. Trained SLPs work with newborn to geriatric clients and every age in between. As you can imagine, each of those clients has different needs. SLPs can work in three main settings: healthcare, education, and other.
Within the healthcare setting, SLPs work in hospitals, outpatient clinics, and rehabilitation facilities. Most clients within this type of setting are individuals who have experienced some sort of physical ailment. SLPs work with individuals who have had a traumatic brain injury, premature infants with suckling and swallowing issues, stroke patients who have declined cognitive function, individuals who have experienced trauma to the structures related to speech, like the vocal cords, and so much more!
Within the educational setting, SLPs work in schools! This can be a public school, private school, charter school, or university clinic. SLPs in the educational setting can work with any grade K through 12. SLPs in a school typically work with students who have communication disorders. Things like articulation, fluency, voice, language, and social skills are common in the educational setting.
If you don’t find a speech-language pathologist in any one of the settings above, you’ll most likely find them working in a setting classified as “other”. This can range from owning a private practice clinic, working for a public health department, providing teletherapy services, instructing university-level courses, completing research, working as an independent contractor, or working for the corporate world.
You never stop learning or growing as a professional
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association requires its licensed professionals to complete 30 professional development hours over the span of a three-year period. As a result, the professionals will be able to maintain licensure. The field of speech-language pathology is continually growing and expanding. These PDHs ensure that professionals are up to date on best practices, trends, and research topics within the industry. The PDHs allow professionals to learn more about their specific niche OR learn about a brand new topic of interest.
This is one of the reasons I am pursuing a degree in speech-language pathology. I knew that committing to becoming an SLP would provide me with a lifetime of continued learning, growth, education, and fulfillment.
You have flexibility and stability within the field.
Speech-language pathologists have the flexibility to work part-time, full-time, online, in person, per diem, OR travel contracts. As a speech-language pathologist, you really can work as much or as little as you want without the fear of not being able to find work. According to bls.gov, the number of jobs in the field is expected to grow by 29% between 2020-2030.
In addition to flexibility, SLPs are typically offered great benefits including healthcare, retirement programs, and even student loan assistance in some cases! These benefits are going to vary from state, county, setting, and amount of years in the field.
You make a meaningful impact and difference in people’s lives.
It’s instinctual for humans to want to find purpose in their life. Becoming a speech-language pathologist means that you have endless opportunities to make an impact and change the world through speech-language pathology. Not only do you have a direct impact on your clients, but you also are providing education to families and caretakers. You’ll also provide insight on the field to other healthcare professionals, educating students if you become a clinical supervisor or teacher, and making a difference in the SLP community as a whole if you go into research.