I’ve been a bit hesitant to post here, but I feel like I should give some caution to potential CDA students in Ontario. There seems to be some sort of push from colleges to expand their CDA programs to accommodate more students and open new programs (Conestoga) as well. I don’t understand where this push is coming from, as there are almost no full-time positions in the career field; most private clinics rely on cheap CDA labour in the GTA due to the shortages of SLPs. No one from my graduating class has a full-time position; it’s all unreliable part-time jobs, all clinics take advantage of the fact that they will only hire contract positions, and those are the only positions available at all other clinics, so there isn’t a push for better job conditions (no benefits, no expected hours/pay).
You will be doing community-based roles for low pay, and this isn’t even accounting for all the time you’ll be travelling or driving (you also 100% need a car). Most clients will only be available after school/work, which only leaves the hours between 4 and 7. This means the most amount of clients you will likely have per day is 3, and that’s if you’re lucky with scheduling (it will amount to minimum wage for the day if you’re lucky). Unless you’re ok with always wondering how much money you’ll be making each week, I highly caution against the program and career field since it's already been flooded with graduates, lowering the already low pay.
I’d also like to add that, unlike American SLPAs, school boards rarely, if at all, hire CDAs; it’s not a recognized profession, so most hospital and school positions are rare. I genuinely think the only people who would benefit from this career are people who have no desire to be breadwinners or are just looking for part-time work to have in between other responsibilities. This is not a field you should enter if you want to have growth in your career or are career-focused; the job itself will not let you.