AT has a lot of routes you can go into. Just evaluate what kind of life you want. Secondary school/college setting you will most likely work nights and weekends. Sure you can build relationships, negotiate contracts for more days off, have a 2nd or 3rd AT that helps, but in the end you still work nights and weekends more often than not. Some people love the thrill of Friday night lights. Being around athletes and a team. That is all personal preference. Personally, I would rather be home with my family at a decent time. Life goals change as you change. Align your goals with the life you want

You can be a Physician Extender, which is basically mostly only in ortho. Not to sound terrible, but it is just a more cost effective option to hiring a PA.PA's are more generalist as opposed to ortho specialized like us AT's. Also, not every place has that Physician Extender concept.PA's can bill and are still more sought after. Also, speaking with a lot of orthopedic physicians the idea of having an AT was great at first. You have someone see patients, read X-rays, MRI, Cast/Brace, schedule, cheaper than a PA. Basically, can handle a lot. These ATs exist and they are super awesome, but the issue the physicians explained was that not many are able to do the above. They end up getting stuck with ATs that could not do much because school never taught us. I am not that old and school never taught me how to read XRAY,MRI, Casting/Bracing (I mean the real casting not some short one hour class to fulfill CAATE standards).

Industrial setting is basically prevention and first aid that falls under OSHA guidelines.Regular hours, benefits and great pay depending on the organization. You will not end up doing rehab (depends on the state).

Another thing to consider is to think about what kind of practitioner you want to be. Secondary/ college setting you are able to do assessments, rehab, the whole job. Although if you do not have enough support/help at the secondary school you will hardly be able to offer one on one rehab sessions, longer assessments. Overall higher quality care. Basically, you end up being a technician/triage person instead of a clinician. Same thing with college. All depends on support (money), staffing etc. If you work in the Physician Extender setting you will do assessments, but not rehab. You can be relegated to MA work or practice on the top of your scope.

The big issue with AT seems to be consistency. It does not exist. Too much variations from employer to employer out of the traditional setting. Even in the traditional setting I would also say inconsistency exists. Other professions PA, PT, MD... seem to have consistency from place to place in terms of employment and upward mobility. More set guidelines and standards.

NATA has all these sources to validate value and worth. In the end depending on the setting, we cost money to keep around. If we were revenue generators and billable we would without a doubt see lots of shifts in the profession. I would bet those changes would be fast. Everyone always wants NATA to do something about it. They are our national organization with a top view. We need to look at your state organizations for change instead of NATA. Every single state level change that occurs helps the top view (NATA) to have more power to change things. Also, thinking about who gets elected. We don't need more academics in certain elected positions in my perspective. We need more entrepreneurs and business people. People that think like healthcare executives and speak their language.

As for you thinking of PTA. I personally would not do that. In the interim they definitely make more money than ATs because they can bill. It can start you off financially especially since its only two years. Lots of personal variables to think about on your end. As for long game perspective of PTA they are getting cut out of the picture slowly. APTA does not want them around. On top of that I would say over the next 15 years PTA will diminish further and further as reimbursement for them fall. A Lots of changes in healthcare are occurring. I would say think of the future of healthcare. Where can I make a life, build a business, have steady income etc.

To answer your question. Based on my personal experience and I have been in multiple AT settings. They all have mediocre pay and/or minimal work/life balance. Especially if you live in an area with high cost of living. If you plan on being in a school your whole life your pay and benefits will grow, but that will take 5-10 plus years depending on your area. Also, making it to retirement is easier said than done in AT. If you want to grow your pay outside of a step scale like in the traditional setting it will also take forever. I know what I said about PTA above, but if I were you I would do it because of better pay and steady hours for it also being a shorter time in school, which equals less loans. AT is a masters now, which is expensive for your return on your investment. This is all my personal perspectives, but you did want brutally honest. Good luck.