It is rare that you will see Will Gordon, a senior from Arlington, Texas, on campus without his headphones. His love for music influences every part of his life, including his major.
“Music really sheds a new light on how we communicate,” Gordon says. “Ever since I was a kid I was really meticulous about how things were said and how they sounded. I ended up taking an interest inquiry at Career Services and speech pathology was really high on the list, along with super hero and role model for children,” Gordon jokes.
After taking the interest inquiry and changing his major, Gordon started enjoying his classes and exploring the doors that a degree in speech-language pathology could open for him. UNL’s Speech-Language Pathology program is rated among the top 5% of the programs in the country. Students take classes ranging from sign language to phonology, phonetics, and audiology, a subject in which Gordon is increasingly interested.
“Audiology is the study of how you hear. For instance, in my Intro to Audiology class we have gone over how the organs of the ear work and I find it so interesting.” Gordon says. “There are little tiny hairs in your ears that are stimulated by sound waves and that’s how we hear! It’s really fascinating.”
Many speech-language pathologists (SLPs) work in health care settings like hospitals or rehabilitation clinics, but Gordon wanted to keep his options open, which is why he decided to declare a minor in special education.
“In the education setting you can help children who have speech impediments and pathological ways of communicating. Some school districts hire speech path majors with their bachelor’s degrees to work for them while they are getting their masters,” Gordon says. “I want to have the chance to get some experience and make some money while still continuing school, so that is definitely something I would be interested in.”
Gordon is also working at the health center as a Healthy Husker Peer Educator, which is giving him experience working in a health care setting.
“As a peer educator I give presentations on campus dealing with health and wellness issues. For example, if you do decide to drink when you go out on the weekends, we give a presentation called Alcohol 101 in which we give facts and tips on how to drink safely,” Gordon says.
When asked whether he would ever consider trying to make it in the music world, Gordon smiles.
“I would like to pursue music, but my priority right now is getting done with school. It’s not like I don’t enjoy what I’m doing now, but there is nothing like your passion, which is why my friends and I still jam and record some things for fun.” Gordon says. “If we ever do record something that we deem worthy of releasing to the public we will probably put it online and try do some shows here and there. Music is just a part of me that I’ll never shake.”
Next semester Gordon will student teach so he can get a feel for working in a classroom setting if he decides to pursue special education. No matter what route Gordon decides to take, he can be sure that speech-language pathology will provide many job prospects once he graduates.
If you would like to learn more about on-campus jobs visit http://www.unl.edu/careers/experience/campusjobs.shtml. Still aren’t sure what you want to major in? Do what Will did and take a trip to Career Services or visit the website, http://www.unl.edu/careers/get-know-career-services. Talking to career counselors or taking a career assessment could help you find a niche in a major that truly interests you.
More details at: http://go.unl.edu/0s5