Convince Me.

Off Topic
1

I’m at a cross roads in my academic career. Convienently placed in the New Years Resolution Season… though I assure you it is not.

I’d just like to hear different people’s opinions and feed back on what you would do in my situation.

criterion:

-you offer advice, while supplying me with info on what you do for a living, how much you make (general estimate), and what you WOULD do for a living.

I can either go into Global Business. Which I am good at, I have an affinity for languages, already come from a background of different cultures, I can “schmooze” people better than most, and I’m creative.

OR

Kinesiology. Basically I’d like to be Joe Defranco/Chad Waterbury/Christian Thibadeau/Ian King/Charles Polquin/Dr. Berardi

All rolled into this ball of of intelligence, buff-ness, and handsome…of course I’d be the one adding the handsome.

I’d like to train athletes, normal people, hell circus animals… eventually have my own training ‘centre’ and other shenanigans (well no “comrade, live the code” stuff).

Truthfully, I can do either. I’m smart enough to. Dedicated enough to. And there is always the argument “Do whatever would make you happy”. Honestly, either would make me happy. The boardroom ceo type image is cool with me.

and so is the training people, and dealing directly with athletes and motivating people image.

I could do both. But I have to choose one or the other.

I really don’t think that I can get a BS in Kines. and then still make it to a reputable business school.

That or fuck it i’m growing a mullet and becoming a bounty hunter.

Feedback?

-Xen.

2

Okay, I’ll go first here…Me, you say? I’m a 24 y.o. secondary school social studies teacher who is in my second year of teaching and I’m grossing in the bracket of a whopping…hold your breath…30-40K per year (yeah, I’m really rolling in the dough, aye?). For me, it’s not about the money. I enjoy what I do, but I’m having trouble accepting the direction education seems to be heading and I’m starting to think perhaps this whole teaching thing is not for me…anyhow…

Do you think you would be the type to work for yourself (i.e. operate your own business) or work for someone else? I would think this would be the major question you need to answer. In addition, which profession do you think offers the best opportunities for growth in the coming years?

If you don’t mind working for someone else, wish to earn a decent income, and perhaps do some traveling…go the global business route. If you wish to set your own schedule, help others reach their physical and mental potential, and live to be buff, handsome, and whatever the other word was…then go the kinesiology route. I would imagine your income would depend on how hard you work and what kind of reputation you establish. Which path do you see yourself being most happy with 20 years down the road?

Okay, so maybe I didn’t quite answer your question, but you really need to ultimately decide for yourself. These are two very different career choices, and you prolly hit the nail on the head when you indicated a switch to one or the other would be kind of difficult.

Kill two birds with one stone…go the global business route and start your own Ironhouse LLP or something, that way you have the best of both worlds.

Peace and have a Happy New Year!!!

JLR

3

i’m for the bounty hunter man, mullets are wicked awesome!

4

[quote]Xen Nova wrote:
I’m at a cross roads in my academic career. Convienently placed in the New Years Resolution Season… though I assure you it is not.

I’d just like to hear different people’s opinions and feed back on what you would do in my situation.

criterion:

-you offer advice, while supplying me with info on what you do for a living, how much you make (general estimate), and what you WOULD do for a living.

I can either go into Global Business. Which I am good at, I have an affinity for languages, already come from a background of different cultures, I can “schmooze” people better than most, and I’m creative.

OR

Kinesiology. Basically I’d like to be Joe Defranco/Chad Waterbury/Christian Thibadeau/Ian King/Charles Polquin/Dr. Berardi

All rolled into this ball of of intelligence, buff-ness, and handsome…of course I’d be the one adding the handsome.

I’d like to train athletes, normal people, hell circus animals… eventually have my own training ‘centre’ and other shenanigans (well no “comrade, live the code” stuff).

Truthfully, I can do either. I’m smart enough to. Dedicated enough to. And there is always the argument “Do whatever would make you happy”. Honestly, either would make me happy. The boardroom ceo type image is cool with me.

and so is the training people, and dealing directly with athletes and motivating people image.

I could do both. But I have to choose one or the other.

I really don’t think that I can get a BS in Kines. and then still make it to a reputable business school.

That or fuck it i’m growing a mullet and becoming a bounty hunter.

Feedback?

-Xen.[/quote]

Holy shit. This is almost exactly my situation to a T (no pun inteded). I’m enrolled in one of the best undergrad Business Programs (Kelley), in a 5 year MBA in Accounting course. The only problem is, every day I walk by the IU school of HPER (Health, Physcial Exercise & Recreation) which is also one of the best in the nation, and I everyday I ask myself am I really doing what I want. I’d be fine doing the whole corporate, ceo, smoozing deal. But god do i love fitness.

And part of me wants to be a man dedicated to the fitness lifestyle. I already have my CPT thru NSPA, and I’ll be getting my CSCS soon. I love training, training others, dealing with sports, reading t-nat, getting strong and getting others stronger.

Xen Nova, I actually came to a really good idea. I want to go into business to create and own my own line of gyms, sport specific training warehouses, eventually all into an ever expanding health and fitness empire. I see it being the best of both worlds. That way, you can be the ceo, and if you want, a trainer too!

its prolly me just dreaming, but I have to have something to work towards right?

and xen, let me know if you want to go into business with me one day lol

5

I am a contractor for the IT industry. I basically do Systems Administration, Network Design, Software Design… whatever it is the current customer is paying me to do. And I love what I do for a living–I look forward to going to work each and every day. Last year I made a little over $80,000 and this year I made closer to $100,000.

As for you, I would go with the Global Business. I can tell you from experience that you will get the chance to help people build better physiques, create nutrition programs, training programs, et cetera once they find out you are a weightlifter/look good nekkid.

Once you get settled into Global Business I am sure you will find the time to continue your education into kinesiology if that is what you desire.

I hope that helps.

6

Right now I am a personal trainer, I grossed about 25k in 2004. Living in NYC, that sucks. Still living at home, it’s managable. I am just dicking around until my number comes up on the FDNY list. That’s a job I can live with for the rest of my (hopefully) long life.

Money to me is not the biggest issue. I have a strong need to work with people I respect. I also like being the best at what I do. Any career path I would take needs to enable me to fulfill those criterium.

That being said for me, what do you need out of your life? Money, respect, honor, being able to say you help people? What would be more rewarding to you. dealing with training clients or dealing with global business leaders?

My estimation would be that you can make way more money in busniess, and make more of that money rigth away. Being a leader in the field of athletic training would be a long trek, if even attainable.

The advice that lead me away from my BS in Mechanical Engineering (and I’m glad it did) was to talk to the people who are there. The ones who already live that life. See if you value, and can live with, what they go through on a daily basis.

For me, steady salary rocks. There’s something to be said for being your own boss, but financial stability is important.

Are you smart and dedicated enough to double major, and see what happens?

7

Oooh, I find this kind of life decision stuff fascinating, so count me in. I am an attorney who works in contracts for an aerospace division of a Fortune 50 company. I draft and negotiate contracts with a variety of international customers, so I guess I am doing a form of Global Business myself actually. Pay is in the $60K to $100K range (depending upon experience, managing people, etc). If I could do anything atl all for a living? Besides playing running back for the Dallas Cowboys, I really do like what I do right now. Maybe not the IDEAL job of all time, but I like it and the people with whom I work, the chance to interface and negotiate on multi-million dollar contracts.

Personally, I would go with Global Business because it sounds like you have a background that would make you uniquely qualified to excel there (especially with the language skills - key). Given the increasing globalization of industries, it’s going to be a great growth opportunity for anyone who pursues it. I think of my own company which has people working all over the world and people with the skills to handle that kind of international work are highly sought after. I am with JLR’s take in that this is a situation where (at first at least) you will be working for someone else and if that is good with you, then good times.

Also, there is really nothing stopping you from still being fully involved in fitness and possibly pursuing that goal if you find Global Business is just not personally fulfilling for you at some later point. Again, this is all assuming that choosing between these two things is completely 50/50 as you describe.

In terms of getting a BS in Kinesiology and then going to a reputable business school, I don’t think those two goals are mutually exclusive at all. Business schools (which I am looking at now, myself) are not solely focused on what you got as your undergraduate degree, but rather what you did after college (since most prefer a few years of working experience prior to accepting you), what kind of leadership qualities you exhibit… and then the pure numbers fun of the GMAT and your GPA.

Keep us posted on what you decide to do.

Best of luck!

Kuz
–Return With Honor

8

Making the wrong choice and then waking up one day 10 years in the future and realizing that you couldn’t possibly imagine another 30 years at the same thing you’ve been doing is a mistake you want to avoid.

These people who love and look forward to each and every day of work made the right choice. Maybe it was clear to them from the beginning, maybe they just got lucky, maybe they’re just easy to please.

But time is precious, so do those where do I want to be in 5, 10, 20 year projections and never assume that it will all just “take care of itself”.

9

I’m 37, MA in English, and last summer ditched a job I loathed in sales/marketing to become a full-time trainer and writer. For 2004, the money is okay, but the writing is taking off and 2005 will be the best financial year of my life.

Here’s my point. Strip away the $$, the image, and all the other surface stuff. Imagine yourself ten years from now doing the business route, and see how that feels in your body. Then imagine doing the coach/trainer route ten years from now and see how that feels in your body. Whichever feels best is where your heart lies.

If the trainer thing feels best, but short term it doesn’t seem possible, then do what you need to do to make it happen. Spend five years in business, make some dough, some connections, and get your education. Then switch careers.

Bottom line, don’t wake up in your 30’s wondering what the hell you’ve done with your life. That sucks.

10

I’m 30 and a Family Physician in Ohio. I love what I do 95% of the time. My advice is to be the cool boardroom ceo of a company and institute mandatory 10am workouts at the elaborate office gym that you designed, you could get to know your employees while training and increase morale, plus who wouldn’t want to work at a gig with a stacked gym and workout hour. Nah, nevermind it’d never work.

Do what makes you happy, gives you the best lifestyle, and you know that you will never get tired of.

T

11

But that means you’d have to be at work by 10am!

12

I am a 22 y/o Chemist who makes less than all of you. Degreed from Ohio State, brilliant, but thanks to GW’s economy, there are no jobs. My advice: don’t go into a field that has to be funded, i.e. science. If nobody funds it, you can be as prepared as you’d like, and you’ll still be flipping burgers at the fat shack…

13

[quote]JLR wrote:
Okay, I’ll go first here…Me, you say? I’m a 24 y.o. secondary school social studies teacher who is in my second year of teaching and I’m grossing in the bracket of a whopping…hold your breath…30-40K per year (yeah, I’m really rolling in the dough, aye?).

JLR[/quote]

Holy crap! I’m your age and a professional too, but I would wet my pants like an excitable lapdog if I started making 30-40K. And I live in an urban area. Try the 20-25K bracket…I guess you’re right on when you say it’s not about the money. :slight_smile:

14

I have different advice. It has a hell of a lot to do with the money. Do what you love without regards to money is not sound advice. If you’re doing what you love but you can’t pay bills that equals misery to me. Do what you love but also think about the earning potential of each career.

I’m a sales engineer (i.e. BUSINESS) and make over 6 figures/yr. I can say with a good degree of confidence that there are a lot more people in a global business discipline that make a good amount of money (say >$80,000). Compare that to the fitness industry where there are a lot of people making (<$35,000) UNLESS you’re the entrepreneurial type and willing to start your own business. I think that’s what it comes down to. If you are an entrepreneur that has strong will and desire, then sure, you COULD make tons of money no matter what field you choose.

But if you look at 98% of the people in the fitness field compared to 98% of the people in a global business discipline, the average $$ is going to be much higher in global business I’m willing to bet.

It just depends what you’re willing to accept. I don’t care how much you’ll love what you do in the fitness field if you only end up topping out at $35k per year (only an example) and can barely pay the bills because you live in a high cost area. If you know you will equally like a global business career go where you know you’re likely to make the $$$. And you can still pursue the fitness industry on the side.