OT/Speech | Imamother

amother

Blushpink

Sun, Aug 27 2023, 12:44 am

I'm a different kind of therapist. But as she will be working with people whether children or adults, please don't do it if the passion isn't there. If you won't truly invest yourself in learning the field well to best serve your clients you are doing yourself and them a disservice. If your child or family member needed therapy you would want more than that
There is also the misconception that the flexibility or "making your own hours" comes with generous compensation. Most only get paid for the hours they work and the more flexible the job the less likelihood there are any benefits.
In general healthcare salaries are not rising much as reimbursement is dependent on health insurance/state/boe funds. They do not increase generously. Those who make big rates often invest a lot in education in a specific niche and take cash clients only

amother

Whitesmoke

Mon, Aug 28 2023, 4:07 pm

Speech therapist here

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT go into the field unless you have a passion for it and enjoy it and can see yourself doing it every day.

Flexibility is not a reason to choose the field. Many jobs nowadays have flexible options. And while your hours may be flexible, it's not the most family friendly job because there is a ton of outside work (prep/paperwork/parent contact) that you need to do on your own time.

The schooling is long, difficult, and expensive ( about 80-90k). The job itself is very draining, it's not easy to work with kids and do many sessions a day and then come home with energy for your own kids.

So many therapists are leaving the field. I don't understand why anyone would choose it unless they they have shadowed therapists and really love the field and want to do it all every day for the next few decades

amother

Whitesmoke

Mon, Aug 28 2023, 4:27 pm

mha3484 wrote:

I feel like therapy jobs state to state are so so different. Your daughter should specifically speak to therapists in the state she lives in or plans to. The way that therapy works in my city is VERY different then in NY so you may like it here but not there.

The problem I had with OP's post was that she clearly stated that her daughter has no drive for it. I am a big believer that one should choose a career only based on what they enjoy and have a passion for. No matter how flexible a job is, if she doesn't enjoy it then she will be miserable every single day. .

I agree that it varies state to state. And there is the possibility that OP's daughter may end up living in a state that she did not plan on living in. So it makes no sense that OP's dd should choose a career based on the perceived flexibility in a specific atte, when she may not even live there.

OP's daughter should speak to many therapists and shadow a few in diff settings. If she likes what she sees, then go for it. If she doesn't then she should find a diff career that is suited to her personality/interests/strengths/skills

amother

Lightcoral

Mon, Aug 28 2023, 4:38 pm

amother OP wrote:

My daughter is considering going into one of these fields. She does not feel a drive but wants flexibility as a mother. What are the pros and cons from people in the field? I feel like most are not thrilled. What are some other options?

Depends what setting she would be working in. I would In a nursing home, it’s not so flexible..a school would be more flexible since you’re off when they’re off but if you’re contract then you don’t get paid those days.

amother

Maroon

Mon, Aug 28 2023, 4:57 pm

Schooling is hard and expensive. The job doesn’t pay well. There is not nearly as much flexibility as you think, as you only work/get paid when you have clients and the time is amenable to them. (My friend has a nice business and works 3 hours a day, but works 3 hours a day AFTER the kids come home from school). Furthermore, the hourly rate you hear about doesn’t include the hours spent preparing or writing reports.
There are so many cons in healthcare. She will burn out very quickly if it is not a labor of love.

My DD wants to be an OT. She has worked with the special needs community for 6 years and it is her passion. I have begged her to consider something else as there real is no money in the field and you are jumping at others beck and call. (I do speech Homecare-so I speak from experience)

Office workers, even those that work remote or have no higher education end up with the same take home as those in healthcare. Honestly, I would tell her to learn to code or get a Lakewood office job.

amother

DarkPurple

Mon, Aug 28 2023, 6:55 pm

I'm a speech therapist and I like what I do but only because we don't rely on my income and I enjoy the flexibility. It's flexible because I do early intervention and decide how many clients I take on and when to schedule them in. I make around 75 a session. If I had to do this for my bread and butter (which at points in time I did) it would be extremely hard and burnt out quickly because then you're stuck doing back to back mediocre sessions and each session require a ton of emotional energy and you still don't come home with that much.
Good luck!

amother

Cyan

Mon, Aug 28 2023, 7:17 pm

I know many therapists who didn’t have the drive and are successful. You don’t have to love what you do to be successful, you just have to do it well. You can love your hobby or side job instead of you want. Sometimes a job is just a way to earn money and being a therapist definitely has the ability to be flexible, work as much or as little as you want, have different areas of specialization, can take off a few years without harming your career trajectory, possibility for summers off, earns a decent amount of money for hours worked. I think it’s a great field and checks off many boxes for a Jewish mom with a family. No job is perfect. Each individual has different needs.
To write code you need patience and need to be meticulous. Also there are those who say AI will take away their jobs.
To be a nurse, you need even more drive and dedication, and it’s hard and intense work as well. You also are not supporting a family on this salary alone (in tri- state area).
Both are great jobs but none are perfect.
So yes, I think the therapies are very practical career choices.

amother

Whitesmoke

Mon, Aug 28 2023, 7:22 pm

amother Cyan wrote:

Are you a speech therapist or OT?

amother

Chambray

Mon, Aug 28 2023, 7:26 pm

amother Maroon wrote:

Office workers, even those that work remote or have no higher education end up with the same take home as those in healthcare. Honestly, I would tell her to learn to code or get a Lakewood office job.

Just to point out, what if op's daughter ends up living elsewhere? The salaries that seem to be typical in Lakewood offices are an exception. Most office jobs in other areas do not pay anything close to that. Just something to keep in mind. It is always good to have some sort of training or degree to fall back on, if you aren't the entreprenurial type.

amother

Butterscotch

Mon, Aug 28 2023, 8:05 pm

amother Cyan wrote:

This is downright insulting. You are clearly not a therapist. I'm an OT. When ppl ask me, I tell them only do this if you're really passionate. Flexible job in this case=flexible pay. In the past I have worked 6 days a week 6 hours a day and am barely raking 50k a year at a decent rate because you are not paid for 75% of the time you are working and/or available to work. You can get a higher paying job, but you lose your flexibility. Why would a nurse need more passion than an OT? Hon, I sit on the floor all day with kids even 9 months pregnant. It's physically exhausting and since we are usually only paid for what we work, you're working non-stop all day. Again, I've done 12 clients back to back without a break.

If youre not passionate this field is not so rosy at all.

If youre looking for flexible and aren't driven by the field, like someone said, go for coding or something computer based. That's actually flexible.

amother

Blushpink

Mon, Aug 28 2023, 8:20 pm

amother Cyan wrote:

No offense but I hope you don't work in my child's special ed school. You may feel the work is done well but without passion and connection it's not the same! You aren't working with computers or products you are working with people, often children at critical years in their development. And they sense it and it makes a HUGE difference in the effectiveness of therapy!

amother

Daphne

Mon, Aug 28 2023, 9:05 pm

amother Butterscotch wrote:

Either change ur setting or get onto a salary

amother

Butterscotch

Mon, Aug 28 2023, 9:28 pm

amother Daphne wrote:

Either change ur setting or get onto a salary

Just went onto salary cuz of this and you lose your flexibility. The point is it's not a dream job of flexibility and bliss. Only do it if you have a very strong passion. Change of setting and you lose those hours ppl dream about.

As a side it's almost impossible to get a salary for the hours that are possible for women to work in my area once you finish with carpool.