Fitness / nutrition industry careers

[Sweetpotatofries]

I'm 27 and in my first semester of university after working 7 years.

My original plan was to do adult ed and get a half decent military job, but I got offered a scholarship, so the plan became get a uni degree and get a better military career (like being an officer rather than NCM).

It's been nearly 2 years since deciding to go back to school. In that time I started test and my passion has changed. I live and breathe fitness & nutrition, I love lifting, eating, & talking about lifting & eating. I've lifted forever but it was more like a chore before. Now I'm tempted to take courses based on nutrition & kinesiology rather than history & politics.

How can I make fitness my whole life and afford to feed myself? Does anyone work in the fitness or nutrition industries? If so would you recommend it or take a different path?

Thanks for reading.

 

[jJjburton]

I'm 27 and in my first semester of university after working 7 years.

My original plan was to do adult ed and get a half decent military job, but I got offered a scholarship, so the plan became get a uni degree and get a better military career (like being an officer rather than NCM).

It's been nearly 2 years since deciding to go back to school. In that time I started test and my passion has changed. I live and breathe fitness & nutrition, I love lifting, eating, & talking about lifting & eating. I've lifted forever but it was more like a chore before. Now I'm tempted to take courses based on nutrition & kinesiology rather than history & politics.

How can I make fitness my whole life and afford to feed myself? Does anyone work in the fitness or nutrition industries? If so would you recommend it or take a different path?

Thanks for reading.

Yes take a different path lol.

I do i have my degree in kinesiology, as i went with idea with physical therapy but now its exercise science and all it involves.

Exercising yourself, and training someone is 2 different things.

Right now working at a circuit training place and personal training.

I think its a good secondary job, not primary.

But doing what you like is most important.

 

[JesterBOB]

I completely agree that training and training yourself are two different things. Again, it is better to have a different main source of income, and fitness as an additional. And a buzz and not a lot of extra money.

 

[Sweetpotatofries]

Yes take a different path lol.

I do i have my degree in kinesiology, as i went with idea with physical therapy but now its exercise science and all it involves.

Exercising yourself, and training someone is 2 different things.

Right now working at a circuit training place and personal training.

I think its a good secondary job, not primary.

But doing what you like is most important.

I completely agree that training and training yourself are two different things. Again, it is better to have a different main source of income, and fitness as an additional. And a buzz and not a lot of extra money.

I really appreciate the honesty of these replies. University guidance just acts like whatever course path you plan is a good one. I have 5 months until I need to pick a major, but I will plot a course that provides stable income.

I can just take a couple nutrition/fitness courses as electives for my own knowledge and maybe get some side income.

 

[jJjburton]

I really appreciate the honesty of these replies. University guidance just acts like whatever course path you plan is a good one. I have 5 months until I need to pick a major, but I will plot a course that provides stable income.

I can just take a couple nutrition/fitness courses as electives for my own knowledge and maybe get some side income.

Are you good with people? Talking with them?

I am an introvert totally. And the hard part for me is being around people all the time. The knowdge and learning the info is easy, as i love to learn about it.

So at the moment i am purposely working ad a group trainer, so i can learn how to be comfortable around people.

If i can learn how to be more comfortable around people, its going to help.

Also i would reccommend taking liberal arts classes at a school by you, thats cheap. Then transfer to a great school for last 2 years. You can save alot of money, and make sure you are ok with taking classes.

I messed up my first 2-3 years as i partied. Cared about going out and everything more than school and got Bs and Cs. Got suspended. But did my 2 years of community service and probabtion to get back in. And litterally got straight A’s, in all 300-400 level classes, my last year at the same school. And it is the one of the best schools for Kineasiology.


Whats important is doing what you have a passion in: i have learned alot about myself and personal training, these last 3 years. Also so many places are looking now for people to work. And to be honest i worked at equinox, I was working 10 hrs and only getting paid for 5. So basically the best approach would be working for yourself in the end. Paying a gym 10-20$ to use the facility for your own clients.

I am in a learning process of how the industry works.

I really do like my job now, at this point in my life.

 

[Canknucklehead]

I'm 27 and in my first semester of university after working 7 years.

My original plan was to do adult ed and get a half decent military job, but I got offered a scholarship, so the plan became get a uni degree and get a better military career (like being an officer rather than NCM).

It's been nearly 2 years since deciding to go back to school. In that time I started test and my passion has changed. I live and breathe fitness & nutrition, I love lifting, eating, & talking about lifting & eating. I've lifted forever but it was more like a chore before. Now I'm tempted to take courses based on nutrition & kinesiology rather than history & politics.

How can I make fitness my whole life and afford to feed myself? Does anyone work in the fitness or nutrition industries? If so would you recommend it or take a different path?

Thanks for reading.

I’d get a part time job at the gym to see if you like it before declaring your major. You can always take the odd course here and there for your own interests.

 

[jJjburton]

I’d get a part time job at the gym to see if you like it before declaring your major. You can always take the odd course here and there for your own interests.

Especially before you get into your electives. The first two years are just liberal arts courses as all majors require them.

Also you can skip school and just get ceritifed, its the same same in the eyes of a job.

 

[Canknucklehead]

Are you good with people? Talking with them?

I am an introvert totally. And the hard part for me is being around people all the time. The knowdge and learning the info is easy, as i love to learn about it.

So at the moment i am purposely working ad a group trainer, so i can learn how to be comfortable around people.

If i can learn how to be more comfortable around people, its going to help.

Also i would reccommend taking liberal arts classes at a school by you, thats cheap. Then transfer to a great school for last 2 years. You can save alot of money, and make sure you are ok with taking classes.

I messed up my first 2-3 years as i partied. Cared about going out and everything more than school and got Bs and Cs. Got suspended. But did my 2 years of community service and probabtion to get back in. And litterally got straight A’s, in all 300-400 level classes, my last year at the same school. And it is the one of the best schools for Kineasiology.


Whats important is doing what you have a passion in: i have learned alot about myself and personal training, these last 3 years. Also so many places are looking now for people to work. And to be honest i worked at equinox, I was working 10 hrs and only getting paid for 5. So basically the best approach would be working for yourself in the end. Paying a gym 10-20$ to use the facility for your own clients.

I am in a learning process of how the industry works.

I really do like my job now, at this point in my life.

The gym I train at the trainers only get paid half of what the gym charges for sessions.

Eg: 1 1 hour session costs a client $100, trainer gets around $50... then gets taxed on it.

 

[jJjburton]

The gym I train at the trainers only get paid half of what the gym charges for sessions.

Eg: 1 1 hour session costs a client $100, trainer gets around $50... then gets taxed on it.

Exactly, equinox was 120$ and trainers get 30-40, 30 when lower then 30 hours of clients, 40$ when above. Hence why the money is when you have a gym that you can pay 10$ and use the place for the hour, charge the client x amount. And get it all.

 

[Canknucklehead]

Exactly, equinox was 120$ and trainers get 30-40, 30 when lower then 30 hours of clients, 40$ when above. Hence why the money is when you have a gym that you can pay 10$ and use the place for the hour, charge the client x amount. And get it all.

Or low key do it under the table . Anytime I train people I just bring a set of baby dumbbells with me and if they squawk at me for training someone. I just say we are doing the same workout.

 

[JesterBOB]

I really appreciate the honesty of these replies. University guidance just acts like whatever course path you plan is a good one. I have 5 months until I need to pick a major, but I will plot a course that provides stable income.

I can just take a couple nutrition/fitness courses as electives for my own knowledge and maybe get some side income.

Yes, an excellent plan, it is possible and necessary to develop additionally without prejudice to basic education.

 

[JesterBOB]

Are you good with people? Talking with them?

I am an introvert totally. And the hard part for me is being around people all the time. The knowdge and learning the info is easy, as i love to learn about it.

So at the moment i am purposely working ad a group trainer, so i can learn how to be comfortable around people.

If i can learn how to be more comfortable around people, its going to help.

Also i would reccommend taking liberal arts classes at a school by you, thats cheap. Then transfer to a great school for last 2 years. You can save alot of money, and make sure you are ok with taking classes.

I messed up my first 2-3 years as i partied. Cared about going out and everything more than school and got Bs and Cs. Got suspended. But did my 2 years of community service and probabtion to get back in. And litterally got straight A’s, in all 300-400 level classes, my last year at the same school. And it is the one of the best schools for Kineasiology.


Whats important is doing what you have a passion in: i have learned alot about myself and personal training, these last 3 years. Also so many places are looking now for people to work. And to be honest i worked at equinox, I was working 10 hrs and only getting paid for 5. So basically the best approach would be working for yourself in the end. Paying a gym 10-20$ to use the facility for your own clients.

I am in a learning process of how the industry works.

I really do like my job now, at this point in my life.

The ability to communicate is a good skill. It really needs to be developed. At one time, I signed up for acting classes and began to read a lot of fiction - this develops vocabulary well and communicates better. I was also advised, and I did, to read poetry in public. And at some point in time - it began to work fine. And now I like to communicate with interesting people, and this helped me find a common language in my work and get out of difficult and sporting situations.

 

[jJjburton]

The ability to communicate is a good skill. It really needs to be developed. At one time, I signed up for acting classes and began to read a lot of fiction - this develops vocabulary well and communicates better. I was also advised, and I did, to read poetry in public. And at some point in time - it began to work fine. And now I like to communicate with interesting people, and this helped me find a common language in my work and get out of difficult and sporting situations.

Thats a great idea, very true

 

[MetalAsh]

> How can I make fitness my whole life and afford to feed myself?

Become a physiotherapist and study for it. Keep in mind that you will be mostly helping out older people sedentary people with back pains, knee pains, shoulders pain etc. It's a pretty good career path since you'll always have clients and older people coming in with pains and issues that you will need to solve with them.

The PT path is shitty, PTs make meh money and growing a client base is annoying. Owning a gym sounds like fun, but the profit margins are extremely low if you're not some big chain that attracts ''normal people'' really well.

 

[jJjburton]

> How can I make fitness my whole life and afford to feed myself?

Become a physiotherapist and study for it. Keep in mind that you will be mostly helping out older people sedentary people with back pains, knee pains, shoulders pain etc. It's a pretty good career path since you'll always have clients and older people coming in with pains and issues that you will need to solve with them.

The PT path is shitty, PTs make meh money and growing a client base is annoying. Owning a gym sounds like fun, but the profit margins are extremely low if you're not some big chain that attracts ''normal people'' really well.

Thats seven years of school too, that type of work.

 

[Canknucklehead]

 

[JesterBOB]

> How can I make fitness my whole life and afford to feed myself?

Become a physiotherapist and study for it. Keep in mind that you will be mostly helping out older people sedentary people with back pains, knee pains, shoulders pain etc. It's a pretty good career path since you'll always have clients and older people coming in with pains and issues that you will need to solve with them.

The PT path is shitty, PTs make meh money and growing a client base is annoying. Owning a gym sounds like fun, but the profit margins are extremely low if you're not some big chain that attracts ''normal people'' really well.

Yes, physiotherapist, rehabilitation is a very good area for development. And it will always be in demand, subject to development and training.

 

[JesterBOB]

View attachment 161289

You can only believe in fitness if you are good at selling. And this is no longer about training, but about sales. Only the question may be worth selling other services, since the talent for sales.