Hello! My name is Tyler and I am a current high school student. I'm conducting an interview with any professional in the athletic trainer field for a Foundations in Health Science Class project about careers! I have created a total of 13 questions. Comment on this post, answering all 13 questions to be a part of my assignment.?
1. What profession did you choose? Why?
2. How many years of college did you need to go through?
3. What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional job?
4. How can I decide if I should earn a Ph.D. in this field?
5. Were you in a college program?
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date?
7. Did you shadow another professional in the field?
8. Did you join any school clubs related to your current profession?
9. Was there a particular subject you struggled with during your school years?
10. What skill sets did you learn or gain while pursuing your career?
11. What regular tasks do you complete being an athletic trainer?
12. What's your weekly schedule like?
13. What advice would you give me on being an athletic trainer?
2 answers
Beckie’s Answer
1. What profession did you choose? Why? I work in organization development/training. I started off as a high school teacher but that was not the right job for me, so training works much better. I love to help people learn and change so they can grow.
2. How many years of college did you need to go through? Typically this role only needs a 4-year degree.
3. What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional job? I have gone through 7 different employers with this job, all in the same field of work.
4. How can I decide if I should earn a Ph.D. in this field? Ph.D. candidates have to write a dissertation, so the question for me is whether I want to do that amount of research and writing and will it help me get a better position. For my work, I do not need a Ph.D., so I did not go for that. However, there are jobs I can not get because I do no have the Ph.D. in the field.
5. Were you in a college program? Yes. originally, I earned a BS in Education. When I realized teaching high school was not for me, I went back and earned a Masters in a business field.
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date? Yes (see above)
7. Did you shadow another professional in the field? No. I did not know there was a field called Organization Development and Change Management, so I did not know to shadow anyone. However, that is almost always a good plan so you can see what the work is really like.
8. Did you join any school clubs related to your current profession? Yes, during college. I led the student organization for the OD Network.
9. Was there a particular subject you struggled with during your school years? Finance and Accounting. (YUCK!) During high school I was great in math, so it is funny I did not appreciate those classes in college.
10. What skill sets did you learn or gain while pursuing your career? Most of the skills sets are the interpersonal skills that help me relate to others. Skills like communication, empathy, budgeting, sales, project management, and many more are often used across all jobs.
11. What regular tasks do you complete being an athletic trainer? I am not an athletic trainer - BUT I have a good friend who opened his own business. He needs all the business skills to run the actual business - marketing his work, signing up clients, scheduling the sessions, following up on contacts, public speaking to share the story, finance, budgeting, and managing people. All of that along with his skills related to athletic training, knowing anatomy, strength training, nutrition, and more.
12. What's your weekly schedule like? My friend does set his own hours, BUT to make a good living he is working 6 days a week. He often holds sessions starting at 6 am and goes to 10 am, then he takes a break until the lunch hour when a couple clients like to come in. Then he works again from 4pm-9 pm. During the afternoon, he does the business management work.
13. What advice would you give me on being an athletic trainer? Start now with your high school trainers and see if you can help them. Then get a job at a fitness center to get some experience to determine if that is a path you really love. In college, take a business minor if you want to run your own practice.
Russell’s Answer
1. The profession I chose was being an athletic trainer because sports was always a passion.
2. I had to go through 6 years of college since I also have my masters degree.
3. I worked in retail and fast food job while I was in school.
4. You see if it’s a true passion for you and decide then.
5. No I wasn’t.
6. No I didn’t, I stayed in school the whole time.
7. I shadowed another experienced athletic trainer.
8. No, I wasn’t in any clubs related to my profession.
9. The subject I struggled most in was World history since it was a lot to handle.
10. I learned how to be more communicative and how to handle situations faster.
11. Some tasks I complete are evaluating patients injuries, writing reports, and applying tape or other helpful techniques.
12. My weekly schedule is just like any other job which is full time and occasionally on weekends.
13. My advice would be to stay passionate about this job and keep working.