A little history about me: I didn't do things the easy way. I graduated in 1999 with an undergrad degree in Speech Pathology. Like most female college grads in a serious relationship, I had a case of wedding fever. My boyfriend, Chad, moved back to our hometown right after I graduated, and I missed him so much! I was accepted into grad school for the Fall semester, but I just couldn't make myself go! (I still feel guilty to this day for taking a spot.....I really hope they were able to find a replacement!) I moved home instead of going to grad school to be closer to Chad. (Closer in that his parents live half a mile away from mine!)
I dont know if this is the case everywhere, but you can't do much in GA with an undergrad Speech Language Pathology degree. Against the advice of basically anyone who knew me - I took a break from college. I loved the Audiology courses I took in college, so I found a little short cut into the working world! I took some tests through our state licensing department, and I became a Hearing Instrument Specialist. I worked for great people at Beltone, and I had a pretty cool job doing hearing tests and selling hearing aids right when digital technology hit the market. Except.....it was commission based, and I was 22....and I lacked the confidence to convince a 70 year old man to spend $5,000+ on something he didn't think he needed in the first place! (I'm stereotyping based on rock solid observation. The men came in kicking and screaming because their wives made them come! The wives wanted me to tell their husbands they couldn't hear, and the husbands wanted me to say their wives mumbled!) It was a fun job, but I needed consistent income as a newlywed with a mortgage! (Yeah - I figured out quickly there's more to getting married than just planning a wedding!)
A friend got me a job selling ads for a local newspaper. I loved that job! I get an endorphin rush from finishing a project at the last second (aka procrastination) & there are several deadlines per day in the newspaper world! About a year and a half later, we had a baby, and things worked out for me to be a stay at home mom. Being the chatty person I am, I needed adult interaction after about 6 months of sitting at home. I got a part time job with a child photographer and also took pictures for the ad department at the newspaper. I was basically trading the dollars I made for daycare fees. Although it was great experience because I learned a ton about graphic design from both of those endevours.
Long story short, I ran into an SLP I knew from undergrad. She was so excited about her job, and I decided maybe I should apply to graduate school just to see. I got my acceptance letter about the same time a position opened with my husband's company in the same town as the college. The rest is history...but I don't recommend moving 2 hours away from the Grandparents while attempting a full time graduate program with a 2 year old! And definitely don't do a medical externship while pregnant with baby #2! Morning sickness and checking for gag reflexes in others...those two just don't mix.
Moral of the story - I am not too proud to admit I probably should have listened to everyone who told me to go to grad school right after college. That would have been much easier! But who would I be today without all of that experience doing things the difficult way?! I might not have married Chad Pritchett (hence Mrs. Pritchett's Printables).....or I might have made really bad grades in grad school b/c I would have been running home to see Mr. Pritchett......or I might not have my two wonderful children had I done things in a different order. I had to follow my own hard-headed path to fully appreciate this degree and the job I have now!
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