<p>I love fitness/training as well as sports and I also enjoy helping/training people through fitness. I am fascinated by nutrition and how different exercises/routines will provide different results. I was looking into careers in sports medicine/exercise science but so far the only careers that seem interesting to me (personal trainer, exercise physiologist, strength/conditioning coach, sports nutritionist, ect. are all essentially jobs that won't pay jack (basically $45,000 and less). I understand taking what you love over money, but I also value living a good life with lots of financial flexibility.</p>
<p>On the other end of the spectrum, there are a little more less appealing careers that require a lot more school like sports medicine physicians and sports physical therapists which pay a lot more. I am not afraid to put in some hard work, but I those jobs are just a lot less appealing than the others. I was wondering if there was a middle ground, like a career that would offer good pay that works with athletes/sports teams or just normal clients that have similar jobs to those of a exercise physiologist or strength/conditioning coach.</p>
<p>Most people with an Exercise Science major usually try to get into a DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) program. You should look into the career, because there’s a lot of opportunities available in hospitals and for sports teams needing DPTs. Check out the Student Doctor Forums website, there is a sub-forum specifically for DPTs.</p>
<p>My daughter is also looking at Exercise Science as a major with the goal to go into Physical Therapy. I’m trying to do some research on any smaller schools in the mid-atlantic region that might offer this degree? If someone decides not to immediately pursure a DPT degree are there any opportunities for someone with just a bachelor’s degree?</p>
<p>The top of the heap of this general line of work would be a physical therapist (as someone above said, Doctor of Physical Therapy). Prepare -as if- this were your goal. Start with the pre-reqs. Make sure you take the correct chem, the correct physics, for example. See if you can hack-it. Those classes may very well count if you drop-back to, say exercise science. I’ve known exercise science majors who have applied to med school. But they have taken the needed level of pre-reqs. Also, our public high schools in Va hire athletic trainers -2 per high school. They are present at all (most) sporting events in case a player is injured. They help with re-habilitation afterwards. Again, doesn’t pay much. General advise - shoot high, and then you will find out where you are on the bell-curve.</p>
<p>scsiguru ~ look at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.</p>