Is it hard to get a job in fitness? page

[CiKi90]

Like, a yoga instructor, a hiking guide, a personal trainer, etc.

Do these things require college classes or a degree in kinesiology? If they do, are there any fitness related jobs that are easy to get that don't require degrees?

Also, if you have a fitness related job, what's it like? Do you enjoy it? Is it really difficult?

I just don't really know what I want to do right now, career-wise. I was. Going into nutrition and studying holistic medicine recreationally, but I'm not sure I want to go through with it or how easy it'd be to make a living while being a Paleo nutritionist. So, my second option would be fitness!

Thanks for any advice you have to offer

[MissJecka]

Fitness instructor (yoga, spinning, Zumba, kickboxing, etc.) - you need a certification, but not a college degree in it.

For personal training, it's kind of the same; however, if you have a degree in kinesiology, physical therapy, athletic training, etc. you are more likely to land a job and will find the certification much easier. At my YMCA, all of the personal trainers have degrees in physical therapy or athletic training. My personal trainer at my old gym did not go to college for it at all, but took the classes and got the certificate.

My friends who are yoga instructors simply went through the steps to be an instructor - which took YEARS of study and gaining of experience - but they did not go to college for anything like that. (One is an architect by day. One is an Engineer. One is a writer. Definitely not in the health fields for day jobs!)

I started studying to be a Spinning instructor a couple of years ago but never went to the certification class due to a personal conflict. I'm looking into doing so again though - it costs a few hundred dollars for the certification classes, you take a test, then - bam - you're an instructor. Some things like Zumba may require multiple classes.

[YogaBare]

I'm a qualified Yoga instructor. The training doesn't have to take a long time - you either do 200 or 500 hours but these can be done over as long as two years (just at weekends) or as quickly as one month (every day, intensive). Mine was 500 hours and I did it in India... on the beach

People wil probably tell you how competitive all these areas are, but everything is competitive these days! I think it comes down to passion - if you really love something, you'll have the energy to make yourself succeed. If you get into something half-heartedly it doesn't tend to go as smoothly.

Take your time before you make a decision. And remember that whatever choice you make, you can change your mind! We're very fortunate these days that changing career isn't uncommon. A lot of my friends have done it. After working in jobs they hated for their twenties they got to a point where they realised it wasn't worth it. It's better to be fulfilled than to be wealthy imo. [/tangent]

[arthurb999]

People wil probably tell you how competitive all these areas are, but everything is competitive these days! I think it comes down to passion - if you really love something, you'll have the energy to make yourself succeed. If you get into something half-heartedly it doesn't tend to go as smoothly.

Take your time before you make a decision. And remember that whatever choice you make, you can change your mind! We're very fortunate these days that changing career isn't uncommon. A lot of my friends have done it. After working in jobs they hated for their twenties they got to a point where they realised it wasn't worth it. It's better to be fulfilled than to be wealthy imo. [/tangent]

Excellent advice.

[EagleRiverDee]

Based on the quality of the personal trainers at my last gym, I'd have to say no. I got the impression they got some sort of online certificate and there didn't seem to be any real standards on hiring them. I heard some of the worst advice ever and have their clients spot training- endless abdominal work. Ugh.

Yoga instructors I think have more credibility.

A hiking guide- that one there I think would have some real personal legal risk to you and you'd want to be trained in CPR, Wilderness Medicine, obviously have orienteering training, and good insurance. I think it would be very rewarding, though.

[Dragonfly]

I do pregnancy & nutrition coaching worldwide via Skype. (Paleo/Primal-based, of course!)

Nutrition has been a passion of mine since college when I (unfortunately) became a vegetarian. I did learn a lot about food, though and later got certified as a personal trainer/nutrition consultant (in 1999), then ended up being a life coach (in 2001) for a long time.

But to be honest, I've learned mostly on my own via books/internet/client feedback. It does take time and the science of nutrition is fairly new and constantly changing--especially in the Primal world.

Starting out as a personal trainer will certainly give you great client experience--I couldn't do what I do now without it.

There are some good training programs out there. I did a full-time 4 month intensive with Premier Training in England. Most of my teachers there had PhDs in exercise physiology, nutrition, etc. Really excellent program and thorough.

Do some research & see what's out there in the States. Weekend certifications are usually a waste of time and are responsible for a lot (not all!) of the crappy personal trainers out there.

[CiKi90]

Thanks everyone for your insight and advice. I guess that being in the field of health and fitness is much like any other career- there are different levels, multiple programs, and lots of options/routes to take toward obtaining certification. It was just a thought that I had, and wondered what other people's experience is with it. I'm going to take my time and look into it casually...