Hello,
I have just decided to switch my career to being a personal trainer/wellness & fitness coach and I was just hoping that I could get some input from some experienced trainers. First a little background about myself...I am 25 and have been working out since I was 15 because of high school football. I've kind of fallen out of the habit of working out lately due to the pressures of work and that is part of the reason why I want to switch fields. When I started my freshmen year in college I had in mind majoring in kinesiology and being a personal trainer, but unfortunately I listed to money and switched my major to accounting. After six years in school I graduated with honors and a BBA and Master's in business/accounting. I took a full time job at the largest accounting firm in the world and even though the pay was great I hated the job...bottom line was I didn't care about my work at all and it didn't feel meaningful. So I quit that job about a month and a half ago and have since been thinking about all my options.
I have decided that I want to go into health & fitness for a number of reasons: throughout my life I have always been at my best (just feel so much better) when I work out consistently; once I get back into it I am really passionate not just about working out but also nutrition; I want to do a job that I truly love and I'm passionate about; and lastly I cannot think of a better and more personally fulfilling job than helping people get in better shape and feel better.
Anyway I am planning on ordering my ACE review course and get ACE certified for personal training as soon as possible (plan to start studying on Jan 2). After that I'll probably get the health coach certification too. I also want to get some type of nutrition certification and possibly go back to school at some point (longer-term) and take more psychology classes to better understand how to motivate clients. For now I'm probably going to start applying at gyms and health clubs even if it's in a more administrative position just so I can get my foot in the door, besides, my degree should help me. I have also gotten in touch with my friend's dad who is the CEO of a few YMCA's in Illinois and I'll be talking to him after the new year.
What do you guys think about my situation? What should I do or what would be the best way to make this transition? Should I worry about my lack of a college degree in a health-related field (although I have spent countless hours on this forum in the past and I've read numerous nutrition and workout books) or would having my business degree actually play out to my favor when it comes time to run my own business?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated. I have decided that I'm going to do this, I just need to figure out the best way to transition into the field and mitigate the financial hardship that I'm fully prepared to endure in the meantime.
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