Fitness Careers: Starting and Choosing a Career in Fitness
Fitness is something that we all strive for every day. We like to be fit because it looks good, and we like to be fit because it’s healthy. However, they want to be fit for some because they want to make a career out of it.
There is a growing fitness market, one that is estimated to be around $74 billion. That’s a decent size, and it’s a number that’s pushing many people into starting a career in the industry.
However, a decent chunk of that valuation goes into one particular career choice you can take after some time dedicated to keeping yourself fit and learning about every muscle in the body. That career choice is to become a fitness trainer.
Fitness Trainer
Fitness trainers are the people we strive to become when we go inside gyms. They might not always have the cleanest abs or the biggest muscles, but their body is efficient and functioning optimally.
Their health is above the normal human bracket, too. We want to become them, but how do we exactly do that?
Well, fitness trainers don’t get to reach their peak without a lot of sweat and hard work. You’re going to have to treat working out as a job, and that means working out and helping others for more than eight hours a week.
Fitness trainers also have to learn new things every day to get their certification.
Learning and Certifications
Fitness is becoming a highly regulated market, and a regulated market means certifications. The first two certifications are all about transitioning you from an amateur trainer to a professional one.
The third certification is about being highly competent in what you do. Finally, when it comes to the fourth and last certification, it’s all about becoming a master in all sorts of fitness activities.
The more certifications you can get, the more clients you’ll eventually have. So it’s an investment you need to make. But how do you get these certifications exactly?
Well, right now, because of the pandemic, you’ll have to get it online. You’ll even have to get a Certificate 4 in fitness online because it’s much safer. This certification usually requires you to show your competency physically, but because of safety reasons, you can get now get it online.
If you think this is too much work, then there are many ways you can start a career in fitness. An alternative to a fitness trainer is becoming a coach.
Sports Coach
A sports coach is all about the mental and cognitive strategies behind sports. Interestingly enough, you don’t have to be fit to become a coach, but you have the mindset of how you can become fit. Much like trainers, your love for fitness will translate to your players and make them excel in their field.
The usual way people start their career in becoming a sports coach nowadays is by graduating with a course in sports science. Yes, that means going through college.
The best coaches out there have at least taken this course and have taken advanced degrees on it. Becoming a sports coach is tough, but at least you don’t have to be working out for more than 48 hours a week.
If you’re more into helping people get back into their daily routines or helping the elderly get fit, you can become an occupational therapist.
Occupational Therapist
An occupational therapist is one of the highest-paid professions in the field of fitness. They earn an average of almost $90,000 annually, and the demand for them is skyrocketing.
As a result, more and more medical college students shift their careers into this field just from the pay alone. However, the job isn’t easy.
Being an occupational therapist means getting people back on track after a severe illness or accident has gotten in their way. It means that you’re trying to get people back into getting fit instead of helping them improve on it. In most situations, this is a much harder job that requires a lot of expertise in the field.
To start your path in this field, you’re going to need both a bachelor’s degree and a graduate’s degree. That’s at least seven years of your life spent studying.
After that, you’re going to need to be certified, which means taking the NBCOT exam. This part depends entirely on you. Some OTs decide to study more, so they succeed on their first try, while others take it the moment they graduate.
This is an extensive path but a rewarding one. If you have a love for fitness, you’re going to see that love reach other people as you help them walk or even run again in their lives.
Being able to teach others about the world of fitness is always rewarding. There is just so much to learn and so much in this industry. If you have a love and passion for it, consider taking any of the paths we’ve talked about in this article. You can easily make a living out of each one of them.
