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Two Paths to becoming a Personal TrainerFiled in Personal Trainer, Uncategorized on April 4, 2011 with 4 comments
 This might not come as news to you, but on average, people around the world, and especially in the West, ar living longer than ever. What’s more, senior citizens are trying to stay more active than ever. And just around the corner, the Baby Boom generation will be retiring. Ordinarily, an aging population would not seem to argue in favor of a growing number of fitness-related jobs. But the Baby Boomers are no ordinary generation. This group came of age, and grew older while trying to stay in shape. And more so than any other generation, they want to remain fit and active for decades. Because for many of these people, going to the gym is not as feasible as it once was. They will need the personal touch of a personal trainer to help them maintain and improve their health. Combine this with the large number of young people who are also interested in getting in peak physical condition, and you can see that there will be a huge demand for personal trainers.
But how to get into the field? There are actually two paths that are normally taken to become a fitness trainer. Either will get you to your destination, although one has significant advantages over the other. These two paths are: 1) getting a degree from a traditional educational institution, and 2) nontraditional study leading to certification.
Before we examine these two paths, let’s discuss why you would want to get into the field of fitness training in the first place. There are lots of good reasons, but they center around two chief benefits: the money and the fulfillment.
Why Consider the Personal Trainer Career?
We’ve already alluded to the fact that people are living longer than ever these days. Almost every study that’s been published on the subject predicts that healthcare jobs will increase because of this ever-aging population. This means, yes, nurses, doctors and pharmacists. But because more people are concerned with preventative health measures, it also means those in the fitness field. And let’s be frank: An increased demand means increased potential for pay for you. There simply will be more people willing to pay a premium for a personalized approach to exercise and nutrition.
Here are some job listings for different areas, you may want to consider. Sports Management Job Listings, Aerobics Instructor, Personal Trainer, and Group Instructor.
It’s a “perfect storm” for ensuring you a successful career. The Baby Boomers are known for having expendable income. And these people, with money to spend, are the ones who will increasingly be looking for personal trainers.
Let’s assume now that you’ve decided that the fitness trainer is the career field for you. How do you get there? Next, we’ll look at the two paths available to you: the degree plus certification path and the certification-only path.
The Degree + Certification Path
The obvious benefit to going the degree and fitness certification route is that it opens more doors to possible jobs for you. This first path normally would involve you attending a local college or university to take courses such as physical education, human movement science, human kinetics, kinesiology, or other similar courses. These typically are three or four year programs, depending on the school. Ultimately, the program leads to a Bachelors Degree. Following the completion of your degree program you will be required to take and ass the tests for certification (We’ll discuss these in a moment). Because many employers require a college degree in addition to your certification, anyone who expects to be working for someone else should give serious consideration to the degreed path.
If you think you might go for your degree, be sure to check out the school’s course descriptions and speak to an academic adviser. If possible, talk to a student who is in or has been through the program. All of this will help you to decide if you’re still interested in the program and if it fits with your career goals.
If you’re fortunate enough to have more than one college near you, investigate them all. Find out if the courses are heavy in theory or application. The best approach is a program with a nice balance. After you’ve found a program that seems right, check out the cost of tuition and books and how the schedule fits in with your work schedule and family commitments.
The Certification Only Path
There is no legal requirement that a person who becomes a personal trainer must have a college degree. It is possible to go into the field by simply passing the requisite certification exams. And there are a couple of advantages to doing it this way. For starters, you’re not forced to wait three or four years before you start your career. As we mentioned, most employers would prefer a degree, but a huge number of personal trainers go into business for themselves. If this is your plan, a degree is totally unnecessary. Plus, the money you would have put toward your tuition and books can go into start-up costs for your business.
So which path is the one for you? If you plan to work for someone else, and can work it around your schedule and family, go the degree route. If your sole desire is to work for yourself, then the certification-only path might be best for you.
Certification Exams
There is not one single definitive certification exam. In fact, there are several! A couple that you’ll run into frequently include the NCSF Exam (for “National Council on Strength and Fitness”) and the ACE Exam (for “American Council on Exercise”), although there are others, such as the Cooper, Strength and Conditioning (CSCS), NASM, NATA and NSCA. The exact makeup of the exams will vary, depending on which one you take. Generally though, they are multiple-choice questions that feature about four or five possible answers. These are questions about anatomy, healthy lifestyle, and how to develop certain muscle groups. Some questions include photos and ask you to select the best photo that matches the description in the question.
It will be up to you do decide which certification exams you want to take (You can always take more than one). As you evaluate them, consider the certifying body: their experience, education levels, etc. Consider the curriculum: Will it help you with the career you want to pursue and the clients you hope to serve? And is the program recognized where you want to work? Each exam might cost a couple hundred dollars to take, so select wisely.
But if you can afford it, invest enough to take more than one exam. The more credentials you have, the more likely you are to be able to build the fitness career that you envision for yourself.
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发表于 2011-10-25 07:03:39
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