Prompt: Describe a problem or challenge you have faced, and describe the process you went through to solve the problem.
On June 1, 2007, I booked a one-way plane ticket: Pittsburgh to New York City, non-stop. I had lived in the Midwest for twenty-two years, and I decided it was time for a change. I was ready for apartment-living, public transportation, and celebrity sightings. Armed with my college degree in communication studies, I was prepared to tackle urban life as a writer extraordinaire. What I failed realize, however, is that pipe dreams of career satisfaction don't always manifest as one had imagined.
During the past five years I have worked in various capacities as a writer's assistant - the entry-level job of my dreams. However, as I hobnobbed with successful producers and writers, I could not help but to feel a distinct emptiness in my work. I spent most workdays scheming for profits on someone else's creative work, fetching coffees, and having meaningless conversations to position myself for advancement within "the industry."
The haunting hallowness of my career path piqued last fall when I realized I was dedicating my livelihood assisting those who, in reality, did not need any help at all. I knew I possessed the positive energy, patience (which had been tested in numerous capacities during my apprenticeships) and interpersonal skills necessary to spend my days working with those who could most benefit from my abilities.
The time had come for me to acknowledge the attributes of my ideal work setting: it would hinge on fostering relations with others through the written and spoken word, it would present the ability to give back to my community, and it would have to prove challenging and enlightening. This mental laundry list of personal career objectives unearthed my long-time knowledge of speech language pathology. Ironically, I had written a middle school career day report on the field in 1998. Albeit dated knowledge, I knew it was challenging job that required giving of myself to assist another - something I had already mastered, but this new adventure would require careful consideration and education to ensure I was the right person for the job.
My rudimentary understanding of this field would not suffice in making this career-changing decision, and I needed to learn more about a speech pathologist's everyday work from an insider. I used the diverse nature of New York City to my advantage, to reach out to pathologists who work in a variety of settings. I spoke with a speech therapist that started her own practice on the Upper East Side, an audiologist and acoustics professor in Brooklyn, and I began to volunteer as a Speech Language Pathologist's aide at the Center for Hearing and Communications in lower Manhattan.
This volunteer job fine-tuned my new career path - I adored the work I did with hearing impaired children. I would skip off the subway, past those in business suits hustling to their Wall Street jobs, knowing the work I was doing had an immediate and long-term impact on the life of a child. Suddenly my New York-centric lifestyle had definitive purpose and meaning.
My passion for working with children subsequently led me to take on an after-school teaching job with the United Nations International School. This job, along with my volunteer work, had been the first - and thus far the most fulfilling - step towards becoming a Speech Language Pathologist. These new experiences allow me to utilize my writing and communication skills in ways I never before knew possible. I believe my students and clients have pushed me out of my comfort zone to realize my new, worthwhile dreams.
It is hard to say that the young, eager "me" sitting in row C of that one-way flight to New York City would have seen her career transpire in this way, but I know the passion I had five years ago remains, and will allow me to fulfill my new dream of becoming a speech-language pathologist.
Career Path for Speech-language Pathologist
On June 1, 2007, I booked a one-way plane ticket: Pittsburgh to New York City, non-stop. I had lived in the Midwest for twenty-two years, and I decided it was time for a change. I was ready for apartment-living, public transportation, and celebrity sightings. Armed with my college degree in communication studies, I was prepared to tackle urban life as a writer extraordinaire. What I failed realize, however, is that pipe dreams of career satisfaction don't always manifest as one had imagined.
During the past five years I have worked in various capacities as a writer's assistant - the entry-level job of my dreams. However, as I hobnobbed with successful producers and writers, I could not help but to feel a distinct emptiness in my work. I spent most workdays scheming for profits on someone else's creative work, fetching coffees, and having meaningless conversations to position myself for advancement within "the industry."
The haunting hallowness of my career path piqued last fall when I realized I was dedicating my livelihood assisting those who, in reality, did not need any help at all. I knew I possessed the positive energy, patience (which had been tested in numerous capacities during my apprenticeships) and interpersonal skills necessary to spend my days working with those who could most benefit from my abilities.
The time had come for me to acknowledge the attributes of my ideal work setting: it would hinge on fostering relations with others through the written and spoken word, it would present the ability to give back to my community, and it would have to prove challenging and enlightening. This mental laundry list of personal career objectives unearthed my long-time knowledge of speech language pathology. Ironically, I had written a middle school career day report on the field in 1998. Albeit dated knowledge, I knew it was challenging job that required giving of myself to assist another - something I had already mastered, but this new adventure would require careful consideration and education to ensure I was the right person for the job.
My rudimentary understanding of this field would not suffice in making this career-changing decision, and I needed to learn more about a speech pathologist's everyday work from an insider. I used the diverse nature of New York City to my advantage, to reach out to pathologists who work in a variety of settings. I spoke with a speech therapist that started her own practice on the Upper East Side, an audiologist and acoustics professor in Brooklyn, and I began to volunteer as a Speech Language Pathologist's aide at the Center for Hearing and Communications in lower Manhattan.
This volunteer job fine-tuned my new career path - I adored the work I did with hearing impaired children. I would skip off the subway, past those in business suits hustling to their Wall Street jobs, knowing the work I was doing had an immediate and long-term impact on the life of a child. Suddenly my New York-centric lifestyle had definitive purpose and meaning.
My passion for working with children subsequently led me to take on an after-school teaching job with the United Nations International School. This job, along with my volunteer work, had been the first - and thus far the most fulfilling - step towards becoming a Speech Language Pathologist. These new experiences allow me to utilize my writing and communication skills in ways I never before knew possible. I believe my students and clients have pushed me out of my comfort zone to realize my new, worthwhile dreams.
It is hard to say that the young, eager "me" sitting in row C of that one-way flight to New York City would have seen her career transpire in this way, but I know the passion I had five years ago remains, and will allow me to fulfill my new dream of becoming a speech-language pathologist.
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