Days are Numbered-Goodbye Undergrad Hello Grad School

In about two months I will be considered a graduate of Stockton College with a Bachelor in Health Sciences. It was a long, but enlightening journey with many great and memorable experiences. I feel that Stockton has prepared me well thus far for the professional world and if I were to end my education after I graduate I would be successful in finding a desirable job. However, I am lucky enough to be presented with the opportunity to continue my education further, and so I have decided to enroll in the Masters of Occupational Therapy Program here at Stockton College. I am very lucky to be accepted in such an appealing and competitive program. It is a career that recognizes the unique individuality of each client and incorporates this by working with the client to accomplishing meaningful goals and activities. Occupational therapy (OT) in my opinion is one of the greatest careers any person can hope to practice.
In 2011, OT was rated number nine in the top ten least stressful jobs (Brienza, 2011). It is a career that has a great job outlook with an increasing need for occupational therapists in the coming years. OT is projected to grow 29% from now until 2022, much faster than most occupations. This career also pays well. In New Jersey, the average salary for an OT is $88,170 and you are able to move up from there (Occupational Employment and Wages, 2013). This career has so much diversity, you have the option to choose your preference of domain whether it be in mental health, rehabilitation, inpatient, outpatient, school setting, geriatrics, pediatrics, home health care, adult care etc. Do not worry about falling into routine; this is not a boring job by any means. Every client provides a new challenge to the OT's skills and each patient has different goals to be achieved. This is a fun and exciting career that requires hands-on and creative therapy with each patient.
This is a great opportunity for me, especially since I am a male going into a predominantly female field. Females make up roughly about 90% of the OT workforce, but this is starting to change (Darden, 2010). There is a push for more males in occupational therapy, and males are starting to take notice.  In just the recent years here at Stockton, the number of males who have been accepted into the program have increased. There are just two males in the class two years above mine, and four males in the class year above mine, and I think it is safe to assume that there will be more males in my year and the years to come.
I am looking forward to starting my graduate education and further expanding on the knowledge that I have learned from my undergrad. My health sciences degree has contributed tremendously to my success in being accepted into the occupational therapy graduate program. The knowledge that I have learned throughout my undergraduate classes has put me on the level necessary to do well and succeed in my quest through higher education. I am eternally grateful for all of the opportunities and doors that have opened from attending Stockton College, and now I am counting down the days where I can say goodbye undergrad and hello grad school.

Works Cited

Brienza, V. (2011). 10 Least Stressful Jobs of 2011 - 9: Occupational Therapist. Retrieved 2014, from CareerCast: http://www.careercast.com/content/10-least-stressful-jobs-2011-9-occupational-therapist

Darden, J. (2010, January 26). Wanted: Men For Occupational Therapy Jobs. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from npr: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122970930

Occupational Employment and Wages. (2013). Retrieved 2014, from Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291122.htm