How I Became an SLP

May is Better Speech and Hearing Month and I thought I would share the story of how I became an SLP. When I was in high school I had decided that I wanted to be a physiotherapist. I was a competitive gymnast and spent my fair share of time in physio for my ongoing list of injuries. My physios helped me so much and It inspired me to also find a career where I could help people.

 I started taking all the classes I needed for Kinesiology, but a month before I had to apply to University I was struggling through my physics and biology classes. I couldn’t picture myself taking so many science classes for the next 4 years! So, I did one of those “Career Cruising” questionnaires where it asks you hundreds of questions to figure out what career you are best suited for. My first match was a STUNT DOUBLE, like the person in movies who does all the stunts for the famous person. My second match was a STUNT DEVIL (think Evil Knievel). Clearly these were NOT viable options for me. My third match was a Speech Language Pathologist. My brother went to an SLP as a kid, so I was familiar with the job. I remember being so jealous of him going and playing games with this lady. I even ‘helped’ with his speech homework.

As I started looking more and more into it, I realized that it would be the perfect career for me! With less than a week to go before applications were due for University I decided to apply for programs that would put me on the route to becoming an SLP.  And the rest is history! After 8 long years of school I finally had my dream job as an SLP! Although I do find myself wondering what my life would have been like if I had followed the first few career suggestions! Haha!