The reason I chose to become a SLP is rather an odd and embarrassing story. From as long as I can remember, I wanted to be an prosecuting attorney. So, when I started college, I had planned to major in Pre-Law. There were many factors that came to play that helped me realize that it was not meant for me to pursue this type of career. One of the biggest factors came from my political science class. Not only did I not like the class, but also I was shocked when I received information on the statistics of an average lawyer. My teacher, who was a lawyer himself, said that an actual lawyer's salory is only about, $15,000/year; he said that people are really misinformed and assume that all attorneys do well, when the fact is that most are unemployed or barely making a living. This information made me really uneasy. Also, my parents were constantly telling me that I was the kind of person who seems to be very socially oriented, as well as the type that like to help people. For these reasons, I started researching different careers, one night, that was offered at Marshall. I clicked on communication disorders; to be honest, I really didn't know what this would entail. All I knew was that I was suppose to make my schedule the next day. I felt by saying that I was UNDECIDED, I would be letting people down, so I decided that I would declare communication disorders as my major until I decided what I wanted to do with my life. Since all the classes required permission, I went to see Mrs. McComas the next day. That day we made my schedule, and I was all set for the next semester to begin.

It wasn't until CD 101 that I found out that this major was intended for future SLPs or audiologists. This made me really excited. I had been encountered, in the past, with a SLP from my hometown; I thought his job was really intriguing. I really respected him, because he seemed to help out a lot of children. However, at the same time, I wondered if I wanted to work with children. After class, I came home and starting looking up information on the role of a SLP; I was amazed with the results. I think, as we mentioned during the MOO, that the media sometimes focuses on children with communication disorders, instead of discussing the general population. For this reason, I feel I automatically just assumed that SLPs only worked with children. When I read information on how SLPs work with people who have traumatic brain injuries, the elderly, etc., I really became interested. I have always, deep down, had a real passion to work with the elderly. At this point, I thought what seemed, at first, to be coincidently for me to pick this of all majors until I decided what I really wanted to do, was actually an omen. In addition, the fact that this career allows so much flexibility in the work place is just an added extra:)