"Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life."

One of the wonderful things about being a Speech-Language Pathologist is the immense breadth of our practice. We have the opportunity to serve individuals across the lifespan with a huge variety of needs and in soo many different settings. It's pretty amazing, really. It can also be incredibly intimidating - there are so many things to know! How can one person be an expert on all of it?

From the moment I chose this career path, I have maintained an unwavering interest in autism. It has shaped my education, clinical experiences, and professional expertise. I've loved every minute of it.

Exactly what I wanted within this population, however, has been hard for me to nail down in the perfect job. Did I want to do solely diagnostics? Would I reject any program that didn't do inclusion? Do I want to work directly with kids in a school or do I want something more family-centered? AAC? Behavior? Early intervention? Research? Younger kids? Older kids? The list goes on; there are pros and cons to everything.

And then there are all of the external job factors: salary and benefits (we try to pretend as though it doesn't, but let's be honest, it matters and that doesn't diminish our passion for what we do), geographic location, continuing education, the overall culture of the workplace... Is anyone else exhausted?

The good news is, I think I've finally figured it out! I am so excited about my new adventure and I've spent the past few months reading, researching, rapport-building, reigniting my passion, and immersing myself in learning as much as I can. I am so excited to share, but it will also mean a shift away from early childhood for this little blog.

Thanks for your patience while I get my bearings - stay tuned!