Is anyone here a SLP or Audiologist?

I am in the process of deciding what I want to be when I grow up

This career path has crossed my mind, but I admittedly don't know much about it. Not sure if it would be worth it to pursue as a second career.

So... if you are in the field, I'd love to hear from you! I have some basic questions: What is your day like, what are the hours like, do you enjoy your career, is it relatively family friendly, would you do it again, would you recommend the career to others, what do you feel are the pros/cons, etc.

Hopefully there are people in the field on here! Please feel free to message me if you feel more comfortable that way.

Thanks in advance!

Re: Is anyone here a SLP or Audiologist?

I work with lots of SLPs.

From what I can see, it's a really competitive field to get into, and also seems to have gotten flooded.

I forget how long the student rotations are (maybe a couple months) but on my site there are at least 6 speech students at any given time, they move on, then another batch comes.


With that said though, there will probably always be a need to work with either young kids or in nursing homes if you can stomach that environment.

I work for a very desirable employer though and we are never hiring because they do not leave.

As an outsider looking in too, I find it similar to teaching.....very challenging and you have to always be "on".

Is anyone here a SLP or Audiologist?

I went to undergrad for it, got accepted into a grad program and backed out. The CFY is 9 months and you complete it upon finishing your masters coursework. Grad programs are very competitive. Not sure about the job market. The schooling is NOT easy and I give everyone who goes through it a lot of credit, especially since you're not making big bucks when you're done. Where I went to undergrad also left a bad taste in my mouth (though it was a very well respected school) so that may have had something to do with it.

I guess I'm not really answering your question, but I feel like a lot of people think it's an easy field to get into and it's not. You need to be prepared to put the time, effort and money into it and realize that the financial return isn't great. I wasn't and I never regretted my decision.

Is anyone here a SLP or Audiologist?

I am. Yes it is family friendly. Although I set out wanting to work in a more medical setting I've been working in a school setting since graduation since a) there are more jobs and b) salary and benefits are better. I love what I do. I really do but I do warn my grad students about the job market. It was great when I got my masters in 2008 but not so much now unless you want to work per diem. I know you are looking for more positive but I like to be honest. It is very family friendly if you want it to be. Do you want to know anything specifically?

Re: Is anyone here a SLP or Audiologist?

My sister and best friend are SLP's in the NYC DOE. The schooling is very rigorous, from undgrad to masters. Masters programs are extremely competitive. From what I can tell, the job market is slightly competitive as well.

I don't mean to sound discouraging, but I feel like this is a difficult field to get into. Once you get your degree though, you have such a wide range of possibilities.

So, I say if you have a lot of drive and are willing to go through a few years of intense schooling, go for it.