Originally Posted by Jean-Paul
THis is not an easy industry to break in to. For whatever reason, it appears to be glamorous, but that facade disappears almost instantly when you start trying to make a real living.
Most trainers I know are or have been burned out. I succeeded in some ways due to a high tolerance to burn-out, but did eventually catch up with me too.
Making the switch from a "real job" to training as a career is a big leap to do if you are accustomed to a real paycheck. You have to take a leap of real faith, and expect that you might suffer a little in the process of building up a clientele.
If you're good, and you're passionate, and you really care about your clients, and you establish yourself before you completely burn out, you may have a shot in this industry.
I had to re-examine my goals after a few years into it. I have no doubt that I made the right decision, but it came at a price. Ask yourself honestly if you're willing to pay that price because it is steep. If you are not, then I would strongly recommend training only as an avocation, not a vocation.
Knowing what I know now, if I could do it all over again and I wanted to shorten the amount of "dues paying" I had to do, I would find one of the nation's top trainers and apprentice for at least a year. Find someone like Cosgrove, Hartman or Boyle (this is actually a pretty long list), and work for free, taking notes, reading books, learning from a master. Yes, you won't make any money for that year, but if you are serious about this as a career, you can't expect to just drop into it without proper education. Those guys certainly put in their time with extensive schooling.
If you are not serious enough about it to dedicate yourself at that level, then don't have any fantasies about making "the big bucks" in this industry. The thing about people who do really well at it is that they only make it look easy. It lures many people into the industry who then get chewed up and spit back out. Don't be one of those people, unless you understand what you're getting into and you have a plan to be one of the successful trainers,
In my own gym, I hire trainers based on how "moldable" they are. I almost could care less what they know. Most trainers just think they know a lot because they passed a test or have a six-pack. If someone is not willing to have their entire training paradigm destroyed and then recreated because they already think they know everything, then I just move on to the next applicant.
In the short term that trainer might do okay, but they aren't wired to seek new information that challenges them, and they eventually fade into obscurity. I know a few bodybuilders who are trainers who fit into this mold almost perfectly. They are still doing routines they learned from Flex magazine back in the 90's! (And shaving their legs and wearing fanny packs).
Being a successful trainer is as much about your mindset as anything else. So take that advice for what it's worth and make your decision. I hope I wasn't too depressing, but I just hate seeing people enter this field with any illusion about the hard work ahead of them. I'm not saying that you aren't made of the right stuff... Only you know that. If you are willing to go for it, then God speed! I'll help you all I can from my perspective if you are interested.
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