Which way? Help!

[maggie25]

Hello eveyone!
please help me decide what direction to take as far as job choices go. i had two interviews this week. one was for a job taking calls about insurance. this pays 10/hr and has insurance and everthing but i have a feeling i would hate it. the other job is for a gym for 6.50/hr with no benifits. but i could get certified and become a personal trainer or go in to selling which pays about 25-45 a year. all this could lead to a job as a manager making 40-70 a year. i love fitness and have been involved in it for 10 years now. but can i afford this?? i don't know how long it will take me to move up and i am so broke right now....i could stay at either job while at the same time looking for something else better that i would enjoy? what do you think i should do? well, this is if i get offers. there are so many pros and cons to both jobs but i'm battling within my self over this. please let me know.
thanks.
mag

[CAT11]

Hey Maggie there is no point being unhappy. Better to take the low paying job now, than to always wonder...better than haveing a morgage, kids, all those things.
The call center would suck. But I am all for the gym. If you can get your certificate, you are investing in yourself. And always look for something better. Keep your options open....

[Jayesh]

Maggie,

Cat has said it all!!! go for something you love, but keep your options open

[malaynab]

My opinion . . .

It sounds like you want to take the gym job. But . . .

Don't bank on becoming a personal trainer to make more money. You've got to invest time and money in that certification. If you haven't already, do a lot of research in your area about what certifications are accepted and which gyms use which certifications. Some of the more "upscale" gyms require a bachelor or higher degree in exercise science, or something similar. Additionally, it's tough to get clients. You've got to be a sort of salesman in order to attact clients. Check around with your local gyms first to see if they hire "staff" trainers and then let you do "personal training" on your own time, or if all the work is personal training. (meaning no base/hourly pay, just the majority of what you bring in). You should be able to find this out with a few phone calls.

It could be a good move for you, just make sure you're informed before making a decision. Good luck!


Malayna

[corleon]

I can only offer this tiny piece of advice that keeps popping up in my head whenever I have doubts about what I should be doing with my career: DO WHAT YOU LOVE, THE MONEY WILL FOLLOW. That's sort of been true in my own career.

I started out making $18,000 in an entry-level editorial position. After proving myself, I was up to $22,000 three months later. Then $26,000. Six years later I was making $33,000, and when I made a career move last year, I am now making $35,000. It might not work that way for everyone, but the money came for me in time, especially in a position that usually never makes more than $10-12 hourly.

Even if the money isn't there, the one thing that will keep you going is that you love your job (at the fitness center). It's better to be ahppy and poor than miserable and rich.

Besides, if you don't make the jump now, won't you always wonder? Won't you have regrets? And if it doesn't work out, then at least you can move on to something else knowing you tried the fitness thing and didn't like it. It's alos better to start off entry level and work your way up...because five years down the road after you've had tons of non-fitness experience and are earning a really good paycheck doing something you can't stand, you'll find it that much harder to stomach the $6.50 an hour job with no benefits, even though you think it could be your dream job.

[Spud-Child]

Gotta stick with the do what you love...and if you can't live off doing what you love, then you do what you love and you get a second job to pay the bills that you at least like. Don't take something you hate just for a couple more $'s an hour. Plus-where is the opportunity for advancement in the call center? It sounds like you've already sorted out what you really want to do by evaluating all the ways you can move up with the fitness center. Follow your heart, your check book and bank account will learn to adapt.