Jennifer Lesher has been a speech pathologist for 28 years. She advises future students to do research in the field beforehand. Also, in order to stay competitive in her career, she recommends attending graduate school in speech language pathology. Be sure to follow her posts on various Advance Web blogs.

Why did you decide to pursue a career as a speech language pathologist? 
I began college as an English major, because those were my strong classes in high school. I didn't know any speech therapists and had no knowledge of the field. I planned to go into journalism. For some reason, nearly all of the friends I made during my first year at college were speech/path majors. One of the students next door was in her senior year and doing clinical work. Her lesson planning and descriptions of doing speech therapy sounded so creative and fun, and she got to help others. I decided to change majors.

What type of preparation did you do to get into this field?
I started as an undergrad my second year in college, earned my B.A., and then went right into graduate school. In high school, I taught guitar and baton lessons to children, so I already knew I liked working with children.

If your education was directly related to your career, what types of classes and projects did you have to do in school?
I took the required courses to get a bachelor's degree, then a master's equivalence, in speech language pathology, and earned ASHA [American Speech-Language-Hearing Association] certification. Like everyone who has had ASHA certification, I did many hours of supervised clinical clock hours. 

How did your education help you in your career?
Well, there is no way a person could be a speech language pathologist without going to college! After that, you need to do continuing education. It's a lifelong process.

What was your career path like in this field? 
I have been doing speech therapy for almost 28 years. I started out in nursing homes, because that was the only job I could get coming out of college. The economy was poor in 1983, and jobs were hard to find. I actually liked working with the patients. After that, I was in hospital settings, working with both adults and children. Then, I had a private practice for eight years. I have worked with children ever since (6 months to age 14). I have worked with all ages at this point, from babies in a NICU [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit] up to elderly people in their 90s. I really do love doing speech therapy!

What types of skills is someone required to have to work in your position? 
I think the most important skill is the ability to multitask. You have to do many, many different things to be a speech therapist, and sometimes you have to do them all at the same time.

What do you do on a typical workday?
I am at a public school right now. I go in and check my to-do list, which is always long. I then prioritize what I need to do that day. I go get students and bring them to the speech room all day long. I usually eat lunch in my room while doing paperwork, checking email or getting set up for afternoon sessions. Sometimes, I have to get to work early and/or leave late because of having parent IEP [Individualized Education Program] meetings. When I go home, I eat dinner and often have to do paperwork at night for several hours. If you want to work 40 hours a week, do not work in a public school. You will more than earn that summer off!

Do you plan to advance to another position within your career field? 
Right now, I am transitioning into a different field. I am studying and taking classes to become a computer technician. I just feel that I need more autonomy with my work. Usually, I have over 70 students at a time. I think 40 hours a week of work is enough, but that never happens. If you are someone who doesn't like a lot of rules, and get stressed by people telling you what to do and when to do it, this is not the job for you. When I started out in 1983, all I needed was my ASHA certification, and with that I instantly got a state license. Now I have to do many, many hours of continuing education (which I pay for as I am an hourly, nonunion employee). My state (Pennsylvania) has different requirements in terms of what types and hours of continuing education must be done for each age group.

What type of person do you think is best suited for a job in your field?
Someone in my field needs to be intelligent, detail oriented, a good writer, computer literate, patient, creative, caring, able to work with many different types of people, energetic and organized!

Do you have any advice for those who are looking to launch a career in your field?
Before making that long commitment of college, be sure you find out as much as you can about the hours worked in different settings, job duties, paperwork and actual compensation for work done. I'm paid for 35 hours, but often work 45 to 50 hours. You need a master's degree. That is a lot of money for your education. It's not an easy job, and people will probably have high expectations as soon as you get out of college. In schools the speech therapist may end up working in a closet and have way too much work to do. It's stressful. Still, I love doing speech therapy! Seeing the children I work with make progress is very satisfying! The longer I am in the field, the better I get. I never stop learning new things.