Do I finish this program?
Hi everyone! I am in a bit of a sticky situation.
I wasn't exposed to communication disorders or to my love for it until my 4th year of undergrad, so I had to finish out my bachelor's in communication studies. I really enjoyed comm disorders, and since I have not been able to get a comms job 2 years post-grad, I decided to return to school. I am currently in an AS SLPA program, but I have been running into some issues with it.
While I really enjoy the classes and information, I didn't learn until after I started my semester that the program itself wasn't fully built out yet. So, many classes and months have been added to my educational plan. There have been changes to co- and pre-reqs, and it is getting more and more frustrating that I have to add (and spend more money) on classes I already took during my undergrad. I also live over an hour away from campus, and many of my fall classes are in person.
Additionally (and I may sound very stupid saying this), I have just found out that most SLPAs do NOT work with adults, at least not in my area. I had worked as a BT in the past, and while I appreciate and honor the work, children are not the population I prefer to work with. I noticed that many of the classes in my program are pediatric, and I believe only 1 or 2 center adults. I tested this to see if there were any job listings in SNFs, hospitals, rehab centers, etc., and I literally did not find a single one.
I am in a really tough spot financially, and I don't know if it would be wise to finish this program if I won't have income for at least 2 more years and will most likely be working with a population I don't prefer. A part of me would rather grind everything I have into finding a job with the bachelor's degree I already have, or finding a new path for myself... I believed I really thought through all of this before beginning the program, but alas. Please be kind ❤️ Any advice is appreciated.