Hello!
Thanks so much for sharing your question – it’s such a great one!

For me, being able to shadow several different speech-language pathologists in several different settings was one of the biggest factors in helping me to decide that I wanted to pursue the field of speech-language pathology in the first place. So, I think shadowing and observing as much as you are able to can be really, really powerful!

When I think about where I was at the end of undergrad, I can say that I still knew very little about the field. I thought I knew what I wanted to do within the field; however, once I got into graduate school and really began to gain clinical experience – that totally changed. Looking back, I don’t think I really knew much about stuttering or had met anyone who stuttered until graduate school – and for me, that was a life- and career-changing experience.

I’m not sure what type of shadowing, observing, or volunteer opportunities exist in your area; however, starting there might be really, really helpful and fun!

Best of luck!
~Jaime