u/SpringSeparate6546

Hi everyone! I'm currently an RBT and student analyst working toward becoming a BCBA. Lately, I've been having a hard time picturing what my career will actually look like once I become a BCBA.

I've gotten a lot of experience and training from the RBT perspective, but I feel like I understand the **RBT role much better than I understand the actual day-to-day life of a BCBA**. From where I stand now, I see BCBAs doing supervision, making program changes, attending meetings, analyzing data, and spending quite a bit of time on their laptops, but I know there is probably a lot I'm not seeing.

I'm close enough to finishing my education that I've started seriously asking myself, *"Is becoming a BCBA actually what I want long-term?"* I genuinely enjoy many aspects of ABA and think I could be a good BCBA, but I don't want to continue simply because I've already invested time into the field. I want to better understand the career I'm actually working toward.

I'd especially love to hear from current BCBAs:

* What does your **actual day/week** look like?
* How much time do you spend directly interacting with clients versus supervising, programming, analyzing data, documenting, caregiver training, meetings, etc.?
* How much of your job is actually spent behind a computer?
* How flexible is your schedule? Do you have control over your hours?
* Does work follow you home?
* How would you describe your work-life balance and the mental/emotional demands of the job?
* What's your **favorite** part of being a BCBA? What's the part you could do without?
* Have you ever seriously questioned staying in the field? What made you stay or what did you change?
* If you could go back to when you were an RBT/student analyst, **would you still become a BCBA?**
* What do you wish you had understood about being a BCBA when you were still an RBT?

I'd also really like to hear from **student analysts and RBTs who are questioning whether they want to become BCBAs**. What's making you hesitate?

I'm not necessarily looking to be talked into or out of becoming a BCBA. I think I'm mostly trying to see beyond my current RBT experience and understand what the other side actually looks like.

Thank you to anyone willing to share their experience!

I am a student analyst currently at a company that is primarily in home with some in the clinic components however, the hours are very inconsistent and it’s almost time for me to finish school. The company is telling me they will give me more hours as they get new clients, but it isn’t very promising. I really enjoyed the environment and everyone in the clinic gets along. It’s a smaller clinic, but I am battling the thought of going to a different clinic with more consistent hours and pay especially because we are not paid for our mileage that we drive and the hours of pay does not equate to the benefit of staying in this job, but I am scared because of the report that I’ve built with not only the clients but the coworkers and staff what should I do?

Hi everyone! I'm currently exploring occupational therapy as a possible career path and considering OTD programs. I've done some observation/shadowing, but I'm still having difficulty understanding what the long-term reality of being an OT looks like beyond school and the limited settings I've been able to observe.

One of the things that attracts me to OT is the combination of direct therapy, developing interventions, helping people become more independent, and still having a medical/healthcare component. I'm particularly interested in meaningful, functional outcomes.

At the same time, an OTD is a significant investment of time and education, so I want to make sure I understand the career I'm actually entering - not just what OT school or shadowing looks like.

I'd really appreciate hearing from practicing OTs:

• What does your actual day/week look like?
• What setting do you work in, and what population do you serve?
• How much of your day is direct patient/client care versus documentation, evaluations, meetings, treatment planning, etc.?
• How much freedom do you have when developing interventions?
• How flexible is your schedule?
• Does documentation/work follow you home?
• How would you describe your work-life balance and mental/physical demands?
• Do you feel fairly compensated considering the education required to become an OT?
• What opportunities exist to significantly increase your income over time?
• What's the most rewarding part of being an OT? What's the most frustrating?
• Have you experienced burnout or questioned staying in OT?
• How easy is it to move between populations/settings if you want something different?
• If you could go back to before OT school, would you still become an OT? Why or why not?
• What do you wish you had known before becoming an OT?

I'd especially love perspectives from OTs who have families/children and can speak to whether the career allows you to be genuinely present outside of work.

I'm not looking for anyone to convince me to pursue or avoid OT. I'm trying to understand the actual lifestyle and career on the other side of the degree before making such a major commitment.

Thank you!

Hi everyone! Nursing has been something I've considered/pursued for a long time, and I'm currently deciding whether I want to commit to nursing school.

One thing making the decision difficult is separating nursing school, bedside nursing, and the nursing profession as a whole. There are so many different specialties and settings that I'm having trouble understanding what a sustainable long-term nursing career can actually look like.

What attracts me to nursing is the healthcare/medical knowledge, directly helping people, financial stability, and especially the number of directions an RN license can potentially take you.

My biggest priorities long-term are being present for my family, earning a good income with room for growth, having energy left after work, and doing meaningful work.

I'd really appreciate hearing from current RNs:

• What specialty/setting are you in, and what does your actual day/week look like?
• What schedule do you work?
• How flexible is your schedule in reality?
• Do you genuinely feel like working 3x12s gives you more usable time off, or are you exhausted/recovering on your days off?
• How physically and mentally exhausting is your particular nursing job?
• Does work follow you home?
• How would you describe your work-life balance?
• For nurses with children/families, how well does nursing actually work with family life?
• Do you feel financially secure as an RN?
• How much opportunity have you had to increase your income without necessarily obtaining another degree?
• Have you successfully moved away from bedside nursing? If so, where did you go and what changed about your lifestyle?
• What's the most rewarding part of nursing? What's the part you could do without?
• Have you ever seriously considered leaving nursing? Why?
• If you could go back to before nursing school, would you still become an RN? Why or why not?
• What do you wish someone had told you before nursing school?

I'm especially interested in hearing from nurses who have found a sustainable career, not only people who absolutely love nursing or absolutely hate it.

I'm trying to understand whether nursing can realistically provide the combination of family time + financial stability + work-life balance + meaningful work I'm looking for.

Thank you to anyone willing to share their experience!

Hi everyone! I'm currently exploring occupational therapy as a possible career path and considering OTD programs. I've done some observation/shadowing, but I'm still having difficulty understanding what the long-term reality of being an OT looks like beyond school and the limited settings I've been able to observe.

One of the things that attracts me to OT is the combination of direct therapy, developing interventions, helping people become more independent, and still having a medical/healthcare component. I'm particularly interested in meaningful, functional outcomes.

At the same time, an OTD is a significant investment of time and education, so I want to make sure I understand the career I'm actually entering - not just what OT school or shadowing looks like.

I'd really appreciate hearing from practicing OTs:

• What does your actual day/week look like?
• What setting do you work in, and what population do you serve?
• How much of your day is direct patient/client care versus documentation, evaluations, meetings, treatment planning, etc.?
• How much freedom do you have when developing interventions?
• How flexible is your schedule?
• Does documentation/work follow you home?
• How would you describe your work-life balance and mental/physical demands?
• Do you feel fairly compensated considering the education required to become an OT?
• What opportunities exist to significantly increase your income over time?
• What's the most rewarding part of being an OT? What's the most frustrating?
• Have you experienced burnout or questioned staying in OT?
• How easy is it to move between populations/settings if you want something different?
• If you could go back to before OT school, would you still become an OT? Why or why not?
• What do you wish you had known before becoming an OT?

I'd especially love perspectives from OTs who have families/children and can speak to whether the career allows you to be genuinely present outside of work.

I'm not looking for anyone to convince me to pursue or avoid OT. I'm trying to understand the actual lifestyle and career on the other side of the degree before making such a major commitment.

Thank you!

Hi everyone! I'm currently an RBT and student analyst working toward becoming a BCBA. Lately, I've been having a hard time picturing what my career will actually look like once I become a BCBA.

I've gotten a lot of experience and training from the RBT perspective, but I feel like I understand the RBT role much better than I understand the actual day-to-day life of a BCBA. From where I stand now, I see BCBAs doing supervision, making program changes, attending meetings, analyzing data, and spending quite a bit of time on their laptops, but I know there is probably a lot I'm not seeing.

I'm close enough to finishing my education that I've started seriously asking myself, "Is becoming a BCBA actually what I want long-term?" I genuinely enjoy many aspects of ABA and think I could be a good BCBA, but I don't want to continue simply because I've already invested time into the field. I want to better understand the career I'm actually working toward.

I'd especially love to hear from current BCBAs:

• What does your actual day/week look like?
• How much time do you spend directly interacting with clients versus supervising, programming, analyzing data, documenting, caregiver training, meetings, etc.?
• How much of your job is actually spent behind a computer?
• How flexible is your schedule? Do you have control over your hours?
• Does work follow you home?
• How would you describe your work-life balance and the mental/emotional demands of the job?
• What's your favorite part of being a BCBA? What's the part you could do without?
• Have you ever seriously questioned staying in the field? What made you stay or what did you change?
• If you could go back to when you were an RBT/student analyst, would you still become a BCBA?
• What do you wish you had understood about being a BCBA when you were still an RBT?

I'd also really like to hear from student analysts and RBTs who are questioning whether they want to become BCBAs. What's making you hesitate?

I'm not necessarily looking to be talked into or out of becoming a BCBA. I think I'm mostly trying to see beyond my current RBT experience and understand what the other side actually looks like.

Thank you to anyone willing to share their experience!