[WalkingDysfunction]

Originally Posted by Jennifer M

I've been an ACE-certified Personal Trainer for four years. It took me about 4 months to study for and take the ACE exam, but 6 months is probably a bit more realistic. How hard was it (for me) to prep and take the exam? Not hard. You just have to be good at test-taking. But that's just the beginning. It's like getting your driver's license. Just because you have it doesn't make you a great driver. That only comes with experience. The certification tests are just a way to ensure that "certified" means you know the basics. As everyone else has said, the rest is up to you.

In terms of income, I have to say that I don't know many personal trainers who make a lot of money doing what we do. There are some, I'm sure. But even the owner of my gym isn't exactly getting rich. I get paid $15 an hour, and I only do it part-time. (We charge $30 for a half-hour session).

By definition, personal training is labor-intensive, especially if you do it one-on-one, and the hours can be gruelling, since you will typically be working when your clients aren't (e.g. early morning, evenings, and weekends).

It might work well for you to do personal training part-time, in addition to pursuing your college degree. (It would certainly help with the expenses). If you DON'T get a college degree and ONLY get the certification, it WILL limit your career options down the line.

One VERY lucrative avenue to pursue, if you have an interest at all in it, would be Physical Therapy. I only mention it here because PTs command BIG salaries, and with our aging population, they will continue to be in demand. (Check out the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the U.S. Department of Labor). If you are looking to combine your interest in exercise with something that can earn you a living, it might be worth looking into....

Whatever you decide, good luck. Do what you love, and you WILL succeed.

- J

Physical Therapy is lucrative, but it has it's downsides as well. While we do get paid more than CPT's (depending on the situation), we're usually juggling 3-4 patients an hour in a typical outpatient facility....so one on one time can be tricky (along with dealing with HMO's from what I heard). I'm glad that I pursued PT, but the journey was not easy at all (especially with programs requiring a BS,BA, or BBA to apply for a 3 year program...that's 7 years). The 3 years in PT school is very demanding as well. It's a rewarding road, but it's a hard road.