New career advice... (Looong post)

[arielmoon]

I currently work in the office of a thoroughbred racing and breeding operation. As an animal lover I have some issues with the practice but at least here I know the animals are given very good care. Still racing is hard on the animals and break downs do occur. Now my employer is planning to expand his ventures into meat packing and as a vegan I have very strong issues with this.

So this leads me to yet another chance to change my career. I have a BS in Broadcasting and Film from Boston University and I worked in motion picture editing on 2 films before realizing I wasnt up to living in NYC or LA as a freelancer.

I moved to FL with my BF and ended up working on a horse farm where I was boarding my horse. I fell into training and teaching which led me to a job offer here in Ocala to train at the most prominent Arabian Dressage barn in the US. Over the years I considered myself blessed to work with horses all day but I was very discouraged by the owners that did not have the horse's best interest in mind. I also had a small farm and thoroughbred breeding program that was a financial disaster. Loooong story short I decided I didnt want the buying and selling of horses to be my livelihood.

I got divorced and I considered myself lucky to get work in the thoroughbred industry in an administrative capacity where I am today.

So I think about what I would like to do. Sitting at a desk all day has not been to my liking but working outside all day was very taxing. I would love the flexibility of riding my bike in the morning and making my own working hours.

I have been vegan for 2 years and have maintained a healthy lifestyle now for about 15 years. Many people ask me about it and my sister has recently bought a treadmill and gone vegan. I would like to encourage people that healthy lifestyle can be maintained in this challenging world but I dont know that people really and truely want to eat well and exercise. Everyone seems to want a magic pill. LOL

I dont know the difference between a fitness nutrition coach or anything else and I have next to no experience in a gym but I think this is something that would maybe be more fulfilling than working for a very rich man on his hobby.

If anyone in the fitness, nutrition, coaching areas could give me some advice that would be fab!

Thanks
Jennifer

[tulip]

I am no in the fitness industry at all, other than as a consumer. But I, too, am looking to do something that is my passion. More on that later as it progresses.

Have you looked into the local community college to see if they offer courses and/or certifications? Or there might be another path such as massage therapy school or naturopath or something. Whatever it will be, I bet you will need some additional training. I used to work at a stable and an equine massage therapist/acupuncturist came twice a month for the horses. That would be neat.

I'm sure others can chime in with good experience and advice.

[Kalidurga]

Everyone seems to want a magic pill. LOL

I want a magic pill for figuring out what my passion is and how to make a (paying) career out of it, so I'll be watching this thread with interest.

The equine massage therapist idea sounds pretty cool for anyone who's into health and horses.

[arielmoon]

I have had all kinds of modalities done on my horses over the years and unfortunately it gets me back to owners that dont want what is best for the animal. Sure, some might be cool but others want you to instantly fix a training problem that will take months.

I know so many people in human massage and I dont think that is the thing for me.

[OakLeaf]

I will say that things are very different in rural areas and small towns than they are in the "big city." I don't know Ocala in particular, but in the small towns I do know (population <50K), you can't make a living in the fitness industry. The only people who don't have to work outside of a fitness environment have day jobs in allied health, like cardiac rehab or physical therapy. Everyone else is people like me, with a quick and dirty certification from ACE or AFAA, who work three to ten hours a week and definitely wouldn't have the skills to work anywhere that competition for instructors is strong.

In the more urban gyms I've visited, the full-time instructor/trainers are really, really good (often they get tapped as presenters at fitness education conferences). I'm really not sure how much of that is natural aptitude and how much is training.

In either case, I think you'd be looking at at least four years of learning, maybe more - whether a formal degree in exercise physiology, physical therapy or something else; or a good certification like ACSM's, plus time on the job to learn the ropes and refine your teaching strategies.

In the other direction, veterinary massage does sound like a good option. Human massage therapists seem to be doing pretty well these days, too. As for veterinary acupuncture, it's been a while since I looked at anything about that, but when I had dogs, there was no actual certification in veterinary acupuncture. Vets were taking human principles and techniques and applying them to animals. Which I have trouble believing that animals' meridians are located in the same places as humans', or that the balance among their organs would be the same, but I don't really know much about it.

[arielmoon]

Yes, good point. This is very rural here.

Vets are the only ones allowed to do acupuncture and chiropractic on horses.

[arielmoon]

Oh and I not opposed to moving. A friend has told me about his love for Asheville NC. He says many people there are health conscious and active. It kinda sounds like a great place.

America's Best Vegetarian-Friendly Small Cities

1. Asheville, North Carolina

source http://veganbits.com/best-places-to-live-if-youre-a-vegan/

[tulip]

I am very familiar with Asheville, as most of my family lives there. It's a great place, quite expensive to live (I'm talking housing, compared to other cities of comparable size), and there are alot of health-conscious people and it's generally considered a hip and happening place.

Jobs might be hard to come by unless you are a nurse or doctor. But I could be wrong. There have been some film types there in the past (Andie McDowell lives there, and I've had other "sightings") but I'm not sure how active that industry is now. Wilmington, NC also has had a considerable movie/film industry, but I'm not sure how active it is now.

Lots of great bike riding in Asheville, that's for sure. Greenville, South Carolina is alot like Asheville except for cheaper. It an hour away, and George Hincapie lives there. Just another possibility for you to ponder

Would it be a possibility to go back to school, either in some health-related field or something else that you've always wanted to do? In that case, look at schools with the best programs.

[sfa]

Have you looked into hippotherapy or therapeutic riding at all? I can't claim to know a lot about it except that I hear wonderful things about therapeutic riding programs for people with autism and other disabilties. I think hippotherapy is a bit different, more focused on actual improvements in mobility and bodily function. It's not exactly fitness like you're talking about, but it certainly improves the health and well being of the clients.

Sarah