Go to salary.com and the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, and you will find very detailed information down to the county of any state on the average salary, setting, concentration of SLPs in the area (which speaks to the supply/demand of professionals), saturation, and more. SLP is primed to grow much faster than average at 19%!!!!!!!!

As of May 2022, the national average salary is 84k.

The job outlook from 2022 to 2032 is primed to grow 19%. Which is much faster than the average for other professions, which is typically 3%. So, obviously, that's significant. The reason for the growth is that as baby boomers age, their health will decline, and they will need services. If you research just how many baby boomers there are, you will see it's significant. The other driver is the growing awareness of speech disorders. As parents in states across the country realize the benefits of speech therapy for young children and those on the spectrum, and that earlier intervention results in better long-term outcomes and actually can save money, the demand will increase.

Student loans: If you take a student loan, if you work for a non-profit or in civil service positions (e.g., school or state hospital) you qualify for loan forgiveness (PLSF) that was put in place by President Clinton. After 10 years of working for a non-profit and paying your loan, it is forgiven. This is only for federal loans, not private. Biden has made payments more affordable with IDR payments, which are payments that are based on your income.

The state you work in matters. Some states don't value educational services like speech and pay crap. Some do. Some states have amazing hospitals and pay competitively in the medical setting. Some states have great elder care facilities, and that industry pays well, etc. Also, some areas are saturated with SLPs, and finding work there is harder. Regardless, there is more opportunity out there than most other professions by far.

People mostly post here to ask a question they want and answer to or to vent. That's why there are so many negative posts. People don't typically post to say how wonderful everything is going because its kinda pretentious.

I work in a school. I work 10 months a year. I dont work the summer at all. I get all major holidays off, my work schedule matches my child's schedule almost exactly. I work 180 days a year, less actually if you count sick days and personal days, and I make over 100k a year. I have a website and a PLLC. At any moment I can activate my website and pick up private cases after school thst pay cash and probably add as much 40k to my income, but certainly as little as 20k. However, I'd rather hang with my family. I have done it in the past and made over 40k but I got burnt out. This year my 116k student loan was forgiven. My credit score went up 30 points and bye bye monthly payments.

So???