If you want to try something new, you might be looking for ideal alternative career options for speech language pathologists.
There are tons of jobs available for SLPs (Speech Language Pathologists) who might be looking for a career change or simply interested in trying out a new industry.
Having a background in speech pathology can provide crucial skills that you can use in a new industry. This includes problem-solving skills, medical terminology, and communication skills.
Aside from that, understanding more about jobs that are almost the same as speech pathology can help you better identify which jobs are available to you as you change your career.
Alternative Career Options for Speech Language Pathologists
Here are some of the alternative career options for SLPs. Keep in mind that additional education isn’t always necessary for SLPs to change a career. However, it can be useful to take coursework in particular topics to further improve your skills.
ENT Specialists
For those who don’t know, ENT is short for the ear, nose, and throat. These experts treat and diagnose problems related to the neck and head.
They conduct tests and run diagnostic hearing to diagnostic imaging, breathing, and swallowing problems for patients, so they can make a treatment plan.
Usually, they evaluate the symptoms of their patient to create a precise diagnosis. Their treatment plan might involve prescribing medicine, performing surgery, or signing up for physical therapy.
ENT specialists also conduct checkups on their patients to guarantee their throat, nose, and ears are in excellent shape.
Start a YouTube Channel
SLPs are a vital part of the healthcare community. Unfortunately, they sometimes do not get enough recognition for their jobs.
If you don’t want this to happen in the future, you can consider starting a YouTube channel as an SLP. You can utilize your platform to educate people on what you do every day.
According to a study, SLPs might be able to greatly improve their reach by starting a YouTube channel.
YouTube is a website where people can upload videos for others to watch. It’s also the second most well-known search engine in the world.
Linguist
A linguist is one of the alternative career options for speech language pathologists. They are a language expert who is accountable for understanding and learning different written and spoken languages.
They might work for schools or research institutes. Or, they may work as a freelancer as well.
The job of a linguist can include collaborating with researchers and scientists, performing interviews with native speakers, analyzing visual and audio recordings, interpreting texts to determine the language, and much more.
Linguists also learn the historical evolution of communication within cultures by studying past languages, sounds, and words.
Most of the time, they accompany researchers on archeological digs to study and uncover ancient images and texts. They normally share their findings in scientific literature and journals relevant to language studies.
Hospice Nurse
Consider a hospice nurse if you’re looking for alternative career options for speech language pathologists. A hospice nurse is a medical expert whose job is to care and help terminally ill patients.
Their job is to boost the overall life quality of their patients by analyzing their health, tending to their needs, and offering support.
Usually, hospice nurses communicate the state of the health of their patients to doctors, the patient’s family, and other nurses.
They build an emotional connection with the patient as they offer them the care they need. Furthermore, hospice nurses also offer their patients with medicines, evaluate their pain levels, and help them with day-to-day functions.
Audiologist
The job of an audiologist is to treat and diagnose the hearing problem of a patient. This can include mental disorders related to hearing, hearing issues, and hearing loss.
Their job is to equip their patient with the right materials for their recovery. Aside from that, audiologists are also responsible for making a treatment plan to solve their patient’s hearing problems.
Furthermore, an audiologist will also conduct diagnostic testing on the hearing of a patient using proper machinery and equipment.
So, if you’re looking for alternative career options for speech language pathologists, consider this.
Traveling SLPs
Traveling around the world can be adventurous and thrilling. If you love to travel, you should consider becoming a traveling SLP.
Your job is to work with medical or therapy staffing agencies to secure contracts at schools, hospitals, and other facilities that require an SLP right away.
Nowadays, more and more SLPs are taking advantage of all the great opportunities that come with becoming an independent contractor.
It can be hard to think about which state you should move to. This is particularly true if you aren’t certain how much your new job will pay.
Whether it is living abroad for a long period, working remotely from home, or traveling to various states on temporary assignments, there has never been a better time to be your own boss.
Before you can qualify for this opportunity, experts recommend that you have at least 2 years of experience working in a permanent clinical setting.
Voice Coach
One of the best alternative career options for speech language pathologists is a voice coach.
Speech and voice coaches can train executives, actors, and others to adopt new dialects, lower their accents, and heal or prevent voice injuries by properly utilizing their voices.
While no additional education is needed to become a voice coach, professionals recommend you take continuing education courses in speech and voice.
Certifications can also help coaches specializing in a particular niche.
Sales Communications or Marketing
For those who don’t know, clinical speech language pathologists are natural when it comes to communications and marketing.
Their extensive training in communication and speech means they can easily connect with a huge range of individuals.
They can easily adapt their own communication styles to any situation. SLPs understand that communication is a lot bigger than just language. Thus, they also pay attention to things such as facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language.
Sales and marketing might appear like a stretch. However, that isn’t the case. As clinical SLPs, it is your job to explain how you can help and what you do. Today, marketing managers have access to some of the top employment opportunities. Here are some typical interview questions for marketing managers in case you are considering making the switch.
Since speech language pathologists have a wide scope of practice, they are ready to highlight and explain their skills in voice, cognition, and language.
SLPs also know how to overcome and address patient objections to what they offer.
You might assume that marketing is a gross term, conjuring images of annoying salesmen. However, modern marketing is a lot more different.
Nowadays, successful marketing is all about genuineness. Modern consumers can feel it if they aren’t coming from a place of genuineness.
Sales and marketing aren’t hard or slimy, especially if you are selling something vital that can help consumers.
When you market a service or product that you believe in, you are coming from a place of genuineness. You keep on helping people, just in a different way than you would as an SLP.
Special Education Teacher
A special education teacher is one of the perfect alternative career options for speech language pathologists.
For those who don’t know, a special education teacher is a teaching expert who is responsible for working with students with learning, mental, or physical disabilities.
They offer instruction and support for students while making unique teaching plans to help students that might feel challenged in a normal classroom condition.
They also develop, update, and follow IEP (Individualized Education Programs) for their students so that all of them have a plan specific to their needs.
Special needs teachers work with parents, school counselors, and other teachers to offer the ideal education quality for their special students.
Special education teachers can individually work with students. However, they can also lead a classroom filled with special students.
Special education teachers also adapt lesson plans depending on the individual learning needs of their students.
Recreation Therapist
A recreation therapist is a trained healthcare expert who supports and helps the behavioral, physical, and mental health of their clients with the use of artistic and creative activities.
These activities can include crafts, music, animal therapy, games, and drama. Their job involves helping their patients establish vital coping skills.
A recreation therapist is also responsible for setting goals for their patients to achieve. In addition to that, they also work with other healthcare experts, such as therapists and doctors.
Furthermore, recreation therapists are also responsible for making individualized treatment plans for their patients.
They also keep comprehensive reports to track the progress of their patients during the course of their therapy.
Interpreter
An interpreter is one of the alternative career options for speech language pathologists.
The main job of an interpreter is to aid communication between two or more parties. They are responsible for translating information from language to language.
They offer translations of comments, answers, and questions made by a person to another person.
To offer interpretations, interpreters might utilize technology. They also have to interpret while being free of bias or judgment.
An interpreter can interpret body language, accents, and spoken and written languages.
Conclusion
If you’re an SLP who wants to change careers or simply try something new, there are a couple of alternative options you can choose from. If you don’t know where to start, consider the careers mentioned above.
Likewise Speech Language Pathologists, doctors have many alternative career opportunities to execute a successful career shift. If you’re a doctor and planning a career shift you’re good to go.
We wish you the best and plenty of success in your new job.
