I need some insight on what my options for a career path are. I originally wanted to be a physical therapist and major in Kinesiology, but after looking at the Doctoral program requirements, Im second guessing myself. The chemistry, physics, and biology involved I know I would fail miserably. I am a college athlete, and am fascinated with fitness and encouraging people to become more physical and active in their daily lives, and eating healthy food. I am very active myself, love eating healthy, and being a leader.
My second option I am contemplating is Psychology. I have always been interested in how people think, and why people change ad how life events can affect a person. As well as how people think and act. I DO NOT want to be a counselor. I know for a fact I want to o something sports/fitness related. Do psychology and sports mix? What about Majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sport and Exercise Science (Kinesiology)?
I would love to hear from people who have any sort of advice or insight…tie flies by so fast when you grow up! I’d love to zero-in and figure out what I want my career to be.
You could become a sports psychologist. Usually sports psychologists fill two niches: they become counselors/therapists and give mental health therapy that’s directly relevant to sports and athletics (maybe helping athletes rehabilitate and recover from serious injury, for example). Or, they may become university researchers and conduct research on the psychology of sports and athletics (I had a friend, for example, who did research on the effects of performance-enhancing drugs on competition and social relationships in amateur sports). But you don’t want to be a counselor. Somehow I don’t think you’d like the research aspect either - it sounds like you want to do something hands-on, although if I’m wrong that is a career path to consider. You’d have to earn a PhD in a psychological discipline with a concentration in sports and exercise (or maybe in a related field - like recreation science or leisure studies or something).
Have you considered occupational therapy? Occupational therapy is sort of a sister discipline/practice to PT, but OTs usually help people recovering from a physical illness or accident/injury relearn basic physical tasks in their life (like buttoning a shirt, walking, eating with a spoon, etc.) I’ve seen it explained “a physical therapist treats the patient’s actual impairment, while an occupational therapist treats that impairment in action.” Some OTs probably specialize in helping injured athletes.
The science prerequisites tend to be lower than a DPT, because OTs usually only need a master’s to practice. So for example, the University of Puget Sound only requires a two-semester anatomy and physiology sequence as far as science is concerned; most of the other classes are psychology. Colorado State only requires A&P and a brain and behavior class, which is going to be a mix of neuroscience and psychology. USC’s program only requires A&P. These programs have other prerequisites, of course, but they tend to be more social science classes in psychology, sociology and anthropology.
In order to prepare for that, you’d also need to get some volunteer experience shadowing an OT. Most programs require a certain number of hours working with an OT and at least one letter of recommendation from an OT or PT who can speak to your potential for success in the field.
Another option would be a health and physical education teacher in K-12, of course. You could also be an exercise physiologist, although I believe that is a difficult career field to break into (my sister was an exercise science major and she has not been able to secure that kind of work yet; she graduated 4 years ago).