Guilt ridden and frustrated with a side of rewarding
Pros
The kids are awesome. Seeing them progress is the most rewarding part of this job. I don’t regret one minute working with my kids. If your manager or supervisor likes you, they’ll advocate for you whenever you have any issues or frustrations with your schedule, case load, etc. They will support you and facilitate career growth. But let me reiterate, this is only if they like you.
Cons
Seasoned behaviorists know the many cons of choosing this field: unstable hours, low pay, excessive traveling, etc. We as behaviorists are inherently flexible and adapt to every situation thrown at us whether it be in field with our clients or with the unexpected changes to our schedule. We have to be, it’s literally our job. However management push a culture of toxic positivity to their behaviorists. Instead of validating our feelings and issues, we are encouraged to brush it off and think of how this will negatively affect our client’s progress. This is okay given the field of work we do. However if you’re pushing behaviorists to the point where they feel guilty for prioritizing their own lives over this job, it’s okay. Scheduling in particular does not respect or value your time. Not only do they make it impossible to change your availability to work, they guilt trip you into having 12 hours of availability during the week for their flexibility. They either fill up that schedule with sessions and the only break you get is driving between clients or they barely give you an sessions and you’re stuck waiting hours between clients. Then make me feel like a terrible person if you cannot cover a session regardless of whether or not it’s during your availability. We are encouraged to talk to our supervisors, managers, and HR when we have an issue. However if you escalate your frustrations to them, they continue to invalidate your feelings. They pretend to listen to your issues so they can claim that VBA is a positive place to work when in reality they’re selfish and see their behaviorists as disposable regardless of how long you’ve been with the company. You either suck it up and to live in a state of denial with your growing frustration or walk away. The latter is easier said than done because you feel like you’re letting down your clients and their families. Either way, they know they can replace you in an instant. They’re constantly hiring new grads who are naive therefore eager to do any type of work. Lastly, favoritism is very prevalent. As mentioned above, if your manger or supervisor likes you, they will support you. If scheduling likes you, they’ll fill your schedule and maximize your time so you can get a full days of work without having to be working 8am-8pm with breaks in between. I was lucky enough to be in my manager’s good graces and friends with schedulers. However this favoritism only kept me from walking away from a job that was wearing me down Eventually the dam collapsed and a mental breakdown forced me to face the facts that I was risking my mental and emotional health for a company that did not value me as an employee. TLDR: Management pushes a culture of toxic positivity thus creating a disparity between themselves and behaviorists. Behaviorists are seen as disposable and can be easily replaced. Favoritism from managers and supervisors and scheduling is the only way to get ahead.
