OT Job Market in Ontario

[rjfried]

Good Morning everyone! 

I am a 4th-year student who has been hoping to apply to Western's Occupational Therapy program.  It is my dream profession truly! I have always been under the impression that the job market is quite strong especially because I have a strong interest in working with Older Adults and in mental health.  I am almost finished my degree in Recreation Therapy and I double minored in Psychology & Gerontology with a GPA of around 3.981-3.985 depending on my last few fall courses. 

I am debating on whether to apply to OT for 2019 or to wait a year and work.  I have tons of experience working as an RT Student (required placements, co-ops and volunteering in different settings) which also gave me the chance to shadow and work alongside both PTs and OTs.  The problem I am seeming to face now is that grad school is expensive and I am unsure as to whether I want to take out a line of credit or to wait a year and to save up some more.  I have read here before that if you get accepted that you should take it as it may not happen again. But I am worried about finding a job after graduation. How is the job market?  How are new grads faring in the market?  I have been looking at job postings but most ask for a lot of experience or are part-time.  I would work anywhere if needed of course (including Tim Hortons, restaurants etc.) but I am just trying to gauge my options.  My preferred areas are London, Waterloo- Region/ Kitchener and the rural regions surrounding these areas. 

With that being said, does anyone have a part-time job during school?  I think that the placements would make that hard right?  I worked almost full-time during undergrad (different I know) but I feel like even 10 hours a week would at least help to cover some living expenses. 

Thank you for any input that you have!