Jacob Decates

My favourite things in life are being outside amongst nature, playing and watching sport and being with family, especially my three nieces. Unfortunately, the relationship with my eldest niece is deteriorating, as I have stopped letting her beat me at FIFA and she is still winning. Professionally, I get the most satisfaction from helping people overcome a problem. My undergraduate degree was in Psychology which has been incredibly helpful in my work – working in customer-facing roles and training staff positively and effectively. 

I love to help the people around me. Whether this is family, friends, or the people I work with. If I can leave a situation feeling like I contributed in some small way, that is my ultimate satisfaction. Whether that is a conversation with a friend, hosting a trivia night during lockdown for the university cohort or by meeting, getting to know and help clients on placement.

I had never heard of speech pathology. All I knew about it was that it could be useful to help royalty make public addresses. Then, one day, I met a speech pathologist. We talked about what we did and the more they told me about speech pathology, the more I felt that it was something worth investigating. During my psychology degree, I had loved learning about social communication, cognition of language and neuroanatomy. The more I learnt about speech pathology, the more I realised that I could take these areas of interest and combine them with my other passion – helping people.

I researched all the Master of Speech Pathology programs offered by the various universities and made a list of pros and cons for each one. I liked the sound of the UTS program, as they appeared to embrace modern ideas. Having a personal interest in technology, I appreciated the modern technological approach UTS took. 

At a postgraduate information evening, I spoke to Rebecca Smith, a PhD candidate who was researching 3D printed food. I saw that this university put technology in the University of Technology Sydney. Their modern approach told to me that this would not only be a current course, but also one that would prepare me for an evolving future.

The theory of speech pathology is interesting and always engaging. However, taking new skills out on placements is the most rewarding. It has been a pleasure to break down that knowledge and rebuild it to fit your client. Seeing a client learn from and demonstrate skills that you taught them is an extraordinary feeling. Of course, it’s not why you do it, but receiving the feedback that you have been a personal help to them is the cherry on top. Hearing that I have helped clients feel more control over a stutter or helped them adjust to life after a traumatic injury is the most rewarding aspect of this course.

My experience has been three out of four semesters online, and five out of six placements had telehealth. However, I don’t feel that this has impacted my education at all. In fact, in my last placement, I was asked to present my telehealth experiences as a student, as student telehealth placements is still a new experience for some locations. 

I found that keeping a set schedule for myself to be extra important for online learning. Scheduling regular exercise, getting outside, seeing family (in-person or via zoom). Intentionally and mindfully stepping away from the computer at a certain time has been the best way for me to avoid ‘Zoom fatigue’. Most of these strategies I learnt at uni from our Head of Discipline, Bronwyn Hemsley.

In the future, I hope to secure a position working with adult clients in a hospital setting, particularly clients with acquired brain injuries. It is a fascinating area where the research base is continuing to develop. I also hope that I will be able to contribute to this research one day, therefore contributing at an individual and a population level.

My advice for students considering this course: speech pathology is so much more than speech. If you like communication, anatomy, working with kids, improving the quality of life for others: speech pathology can take you there.

I came into this course with a strong idea of the direction I would head in when I finish. Since then, I have changed my mind more times than I can count on one hand. If you think that you might be interested in this course, then odds are there is something here that will capture your attention.

Communication is something that is vital for everyone across the lifespan and something that can sky-rocket quality of life when improved. Studying speech pathology has opened many more doors than I ever thought it would.

Learn more about the Master of Speech Pathology at UTS.