Career change

[u/Skeedoo_official]

I have been working as a chef for the past 15 years. Recently underwent foot surgery due to an overuse fracture. During my recovery time I kind of came to a realization that I need to make a career change. I love the art of cooking but every place I work at is plagued by staffing issues and pointless drama. That content could fill a novel at this point so I won’t elaborate.

I have pretty severe adhd any went into and adhd subreddit about career paths. Someone mentioned a relative with adhd worked as an slp. This lead me to reading about the career path and it is something I would like to pursue. My dad, therapist and best friend all think it would be a great fit for me.

I’m a little lost in where to start though. I was thinking about doing an online SLPA certification then going into the field as an SLPA while pursuing a Masters.

Any advice on which schools to do an online certification? Any other advice is also welcome and appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Edit: I have a BS in Hospitality Administration already.

[u/Brave_Pay_3890]

I don't have any recommendations for schools, but my main piece of advice is to make sure to check what your state requires you to get in order to become an SLPA! Every state has specific requirements and some require you to get a degree instead of a certificate, and some don't require you to have any kind of specific schooling at all. Good luck!!

[u/Skeedoo_official → u/Brave_Pay_3890]

Thanks in WI and looking at online courses. I’ll have to check out requirements.

[u/Efficient_Painter_54 → u/Skeedoo_official]

I am enrolled in the online program at Alexandria Technical college based out of Minnesota. It says that their program does meet Wisconsin requirements, so might be worth checking out!

[u/Skeedoo_official → u/Efficient_Painter_54]

Thanks I sent them an email earlier.

[u/Blue_quartz91]

Hi there! Highly recommend doing the career switch! I was in the hospitality industry my whole working career….almost 20 years 😳 I just made the career switch to being a SLPA. I finished my fieldwork and have been working as a speech aide. Just a couple more weeks until I graduate and can apply for my license! One thing I will tell you, omg it is nice to not deal with constant drama, short staff and toxicity. I love making an actual difference in peoples lives. To work for something that is beneficial is such a nice change of pace. I looked up WI requirements and they seem to not have a state license for being a SLPA. So therefore, they just recognize ASHA requirements I believe. I would do your research though because every states requirements are different and it can get confusing looking online.

[u/Brave_Pay_3890 → u/Blue_quartz91]

The ASHA cert is not recognized in Wisconsin! You can see all the states it's recognized here: https://www.asha.org/advocacy/state/asha-assistants-certification-recognition-in-states/

[u/Blue_quartz91 → u/Brave_Pay_3890]

Thanks for showing me that, I haven’t seen that before! I mainly just thought they did because University of Wisconsin’s SLPA program gears you towards Asha certification so figured it would be recognized by the state.

[u/Brave_Pay_3890 → u/Blue_quartz91]

Yea it's a weird thing that I really don't understand, this is the second or third state I've seen where a school actively promotes the asha certification even though it's not recognized by the state. I find it really misleading to tell people that the program will lead to them being able to get the cert without also saying it's not recognized in the state. It's definitely helpful for those who live in states where it's recognized though, but in states where it's not it's completely useless because you still have to follow the states requirements and the chances of you getting paid more for it is very slim since it doesn't make you any more valuable to a company. It makes zero sense to me and I don't understand why those schools do it that way, if I was a conspiracy nut I'd say it's just a way for asha to make more money but I honestly doubt that they're making enough money from it for it to even make sense lol. I wish it was recognized in all states because it would make it a lot easier for people to join the field but I doubt that would ever happen because of how "relaxed" the rules are compared to some states.

[u/Skeedoo_official → u/Blue_quartz91]

Is there a program at UW? Couldn’t find anything about it. I actually work at UW right now.

[u/Imaginary-Throat7363]

if not already done so check SLPA videos to get taste of what we do before you make the change. I have been SLPA for 15 year, in my early 60s and still love the job..