Out of the thousands of jobs that can be chosen there are some jobs that aren’t thought of first. Typically, we think of studying to be a doctor, lawyer, psychiatrist or something involving a large business. Although those titles have remained very popular over the years for they make a desirable amount of money, other jobs that remain out in the world don’t get as much attention.
A speech therapist earns an average of $84,000 per year. Kristi Ferguson, a speech therapist at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, works with people who had strokes and currently suffer from a brain injury called Aphasia. People with Aphasia lose almost all sense in one side of their brain when the brain injury occurs. Ferguson goes step by step with the patients in helping them through the tedious journey in regaining their speaking ability. For this particular job, patience makes the best results when teaching.
“When I was in high school and started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life, I initially wanted to go into medicine,” Speech therapist Kristi Ferguson said. “I realized my true passion was helping adults and teenagers diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, strokes and other brain disorders.”
Ferguson said that the hardest part of her job has been the news of losing patients to a stroke or cancer. She keeps in mind, however, that getting to know her patients one on one will always be her favorite part of the job.
“It is heartbreaking as there is a special bond I share with some patients and losing them to another stroke or cancer can be very painful,” Ferguson said. “As a speech therapist, I not only work with my patients but I become their cheerleader.”
Bussers may not have the most well liked job, but are still an important part of the food industry. Without them, restaurants couldn’t function.
Bussing tables consists of getting the table ready for the next customer, as well as cleaning the surface to remove any germs or extra crumbs. The busser dumps plates and cups into a big bucket, then carries the items from the table back to the kitchen to get them cleaned. Senior Dylan Peacock used to work as a busser at Spring Creek Barbeque.
“The worst part was having to carry a big heavy basket of eaten food all around the restaurant,” Peacock said. “It’s really degrading.”
When the bucket gets brought back into the kitchen, a new process begins. The busser gives the bucket to the employee who washes all of the dishes, grabs a new bucket and repeats the process.
“Things get really crazy around lunch and dinner time,” Peacock said.
Although bussing tables seems “degrading”, a family once gave him a $20 tip for working so hard at a busy time of the day.
“I didn’t think they were actually serious” Peacock said. “$20 is amazing for just being a busser.”
Kidd Kraddick in the Morning has a new member, 23 year old Alex Roberson, also known as “Lil’ Al”. Even though he’s only an intern, Roberson says talking on the radio has been the biggest dream of his whole life. Slowly, that dream begins to come true.
“I have been listening since I was a child,” Roberson said. “My mom would take me to school and we would always listen to it in the car.”
Although Kraddick passed away in July, 2013, Roberson continues to remember Kraddick for being known to improve his listeners’ moods.
“What I liked most about Kidd is that he would turn a negative situation into a positive one,” Roberson said. “He had been through a lot in his life and if he could turn a negative situation into a positive one, he would do that.”
“Lil Al” interns every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6 a.m to 10:45 a.m. He has gotten some outstanding opportunities, such as getting to see the band American Authors perform their new song Best Day of My Life on the show. Roberson was very open and excited to write their bio and introduce himself to everyone. He also writes celebrity gossip articles and even runs to the local deli for the cast.
“My goal is to get a job at the studio doing anything,” Roberson said. “I will literally be a janitor if I have to. They may not have a position for me on air, but as long as I can show them my talent, I’ll be happy.”
In just a month, Roberson already has a fan base going on. To keep his fans updated with himself, he has created an instagram and his own Facebook fan page www.kissalextheintern.com.
“I never in a million years thought this would happen,” Roberson said. “I’m a living definition of someone who’s dreams are currently coming true.”