Audiologists assess hearing and balance with tools like audiometers, and give treatment, which may mean different relief procedures for vertigo or fitting hearing aids for hearing impairments. Audiologists also counsel a patient’s family or community on how to best serve a patient with hearing impairments or balance issues.

The combination of helping people and the technology interested Neil DiSarno, who always knew he wanted to make a career out of helping people but didn’t know just how he could.

In college, he took a class on communication disorders and then shadowed an audiologist at the workplace. What he saw hooked him. "Patients were generally very grateful," DiSarno says. "I liked that you got to work with all ages – newborns to nursing homes. I liked the technology. I liked the machinery. It was a match for me."

These days, DiSarno is the chief staff officer for audiology at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Before that, he worked for several decades testing patients’ hearing and balance and treating them for hearing disorders. His career in clinical practice and teaching has taken him to Alaska, New Zealand, New York, Florida, Missouri and the Washington, D.C., area.

Because the incidences of hearing loss increase with age, audiologists will likely be more in need as the baby boomers age. Newborns with hearing issues are also expected to drive job growth because hearing disorders can be detected and diagnosed early.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 10.6% employment growth for audiologists between 2022 and 2032. In that period, an estimated 1,500 jobs should open up.

Most audiologists start their educational journey with a bachelor’s degree, after which they move on to get a doctoral degree in audiology (Au.D.). This degree typically takes four years to complete and includes coursework in subjects like anatomy, physics and abnormal communication development, as well as supervised clinical practice.