All my life I have wanted to become a photographer/graphic designer. That IS still a huge passion of mine and I hope to continue down that road, however my life has changed so much since high school and I'm in a tough place right now. In 2005 I started community college, and was kind of pushed into taking a full load of classes by my mother who ended up kicking me out that same year. So I was not only living with a brand new boyfriend (ex now) but I was overwhelmed with emotions and was a full time student with no transportation to and from this new school. Two years in and I just couldn't handle, my grades were horrible and I stopped going to school all together. Its been 3 years now, and since moving I felt like this is a new beginning for me. I've lost almost 100lbs and am starting to feel like my old self again. I have been thinking a lot about going back to college. I would LOVE to continue my interests in graphic design but recently I've noticed I have a strong interest in my body and how it works and I think that being a personal trainer/nutritionist would be a great second choice to look into.

I have been looking into a college here and what the requirement are/classes and such. It looks like its pretty tough actually!

Has anyone here thought about this career path or is on this path already?

I am actually trying to make a career change to become a personal trainer and fitness instructor. I'm working on getting my primary group exercise certification from AFAA and then a personal trainer certification. After I have those 2 under my belt I am going for a wellness coach certification. I've always wanted to do something in the fitness industry but never pursued it. Now I'm in my late 20s and thinking about starting a family in the next few years, so if I'm going to take a chance and try to change careers, I think now is the time to do it.

If it is a passion of yours I think you should definitely go for it! It's good to have a diverse background so you'll have options when it comes to choosing a career. Good luck!!

Please don't become a nutritionist but look into becoming a Registered Dietician. Anyone can hang out a nutritionist shingle without training.

The college I plan on going to does provide degrees and certificates for becoming a personal trainer/nutritionist or dietitian so I will be trained, there is no doubt about that. I'm in my early 20's (23yrs old) so I really want to get something going! I've still got some time to think about everything though and save up some more cash, school here in WA is so much more expensive than when I lived in California thats for sure! >.<

My ex studied to be a personal trainer and took the certification test twice and failed. I guess it's pretty damn hard because he was very knowledgable in the field and had friends who were trainers. Out in California, where I lived at the time, trainers made AWESOME money. I looked into how much trainers make annually here at one point thinking I was interested but they don't make nearly enough for me to live on. I know that also being a nutritionist or dietician adds to your pocket book for sure though.

Definitly look into it if you're interested. Most trainers start out at places that just pay you an hourly wage to train, like 24 Hour Fitness or something but once you build up a name you can go on your own and be your own boss, and that's very cool.