We know that a lot of our prospective students have questions about what they can do with a nutrition certification.
Many aren’t sure if these certifications will fit into their professional goals or end up completely monopolising them.
The truth is that there is no “one-size-fits-all” plan, and how you use your certifications depends on your life and your preferences!
You can get a single certification to augment your existing career…
Or commit to a whole suite of certifications designed to help you build an amazing personalised nutrition business.
In this article, we want to help you focus on your future…
Let’s explore your career options and the ways that a nutrition certification can fit into your life!
Getting your professional nutrition certification isn’t an all or nothing scenario…
It can work for you whether you just want a side hustle or a full-time career.
So, even if you aren’t equipped to jump into entrepreneurship after graduation…
There are still plenty of options!
Let’s start with how to identify your goals…
First things first…
Ask yourself:
- What do you want to do with your life?
- What are your core values?
- Where do you see your career in five…ten years?
Writing down the answers to these questions is the key to identifying your goals!
Once you’ve written them down, look at your answers and consider keeping a “goal journal” that you can break into short and long-term milestones.
This can also be used to create a vision board or some visual representation that reminds you of your goals and keeps you on track!
Now, let’s look into how these goals play into a career in nutrition…
A career in nutrition can happen at so many levels, including:
- As a side hustle or a way to make extra money working with private clients while you still work your “day job.” This is a great idea if you don’t need to turn your nutrition business into a full-time career, or if you want to keep your income while you add to your list of certifications.
- As a way to enhance your current career by using the certifications to add to your resume! You could be working in an office, for a gym, or even as a personal trainer, and benefit from adding nutrition certifications to your list of accomplishments. This allows you to charge more for your services and gives you another layer of credibility.
- As a full-time nutrition entrepreneur when you decide to open your own nutrition practice. You can control your client volume, break into many different areas, and advise the clients who you’re passionate about helping. This path takes a bit of planning, but definitely pays off for some!
- As a corporate advisor or someone working at a high level who wants to take their certifications and join a company as a nutrition professional. This can be an amazingly lucrative career for those who position themselves correctly and use their certifications to their advantage!
Keep in mind, there is no right or wrong answer…
The decision should be based on your personal preferences and your long and short-term professional goals (we can’t stress this enough!)
Next, consider the type of nutrition clients you want to work with…
Now that we’ve established goals and looked over some of your career options, it’s time to narrow down your options…
You can do this by asking yourself what kinds of nutrition clients you REALLY want to work with.
Do you want to work with athletes and active exercisers?
Or want to support new moms struggling to lose the baby weight?
Maybe you’d rather work with entire families, schools and children…
Or perhaps burned-out employees in corporate wellness?
Now…
Ask yourself if your ideal nutrition client is the person who you’d be serving on your current career path.
Do the two match up?
If not, consider the changes you’d need to make as you finish your certifications to really start working with the clients you want to help.
Tip: Write your changes down and use them to create a roadmap to your dream nutrition career.
This is another great way to identify and set your goals!
So, what do you need to achieve these goals?
This is another question you need to take a moment to really consider…
Do you need more than one nutrition certification? Or would you benefit from a business advisor or some type of coaching professional?
The bottom line is that YOU have the power to choose your career path!
All you need to do is:
- Identify your goals and your ideal clients
- Choose a nutrition career path that aligns with these
- Figure out what type of education or help you need to achieve these goals
- And go for it!
You don’t have to be certain right away…
All you need is a little direction, and the courage to follow your intuition!
Are you ready to take the first step?
The beauty of our certifications is that they allow you such a wide range of flexibility and open up all sorts of career options. Whether you want a side hustle or a full-time nutrition practice, we’re here for you!
So, are YOU ready to take the first step towards realising your career goals?