If you think a degree in exercise science is useless or a waste of time (because who even ‘studies’ exercises), you are entirely wrong! You would be surprised to find out the diverse and plentiful career options an exercise science degree holder has in from of them.
Exercise science is the study of the stress your body undergoes due to physical exercise or sports. This also includes keeping a check on your health criterion. Biomechanics, kinesiology, fitness and health, nutrition, and exercise physiology are a few of the subjects studied in an exercise science degree program.
Exercise science is an exciting field with various job opportunities ranging from athletics and sports to becoming a physical therapist or an entrepreneur. Additionally, if you are into health and fitness, this might just be the right field for you. Some jobs might require education ahead of a bachelor’s degree, while others might be available right away.
Below, we have listed a few career options you can choose from after pursuing a degree in exercise science.
Fitness Trainer
The most popular career chosen by people after studying exercise science is athletic and personal training. One of the main reasons behind this is that you don’t need a degree to become either. You can learn and practice through some courses or gym programs and become a trainer right away. However, if you have a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, you are at an added advantage. A bachelor’s degree is likely to teach you about physical training in much more detail than any short course or program. Or what you would have learned through personal experience. Besides. Having a degree almost always guarantees you better employment opportunities as a trainer in any athletic or educational capacity.
The job entails training athletes and sports teams, and students to improve their health and fitness through exercise and sport. Not only is this a remunerative job, but it’s is also part of a dynamic field with a relaxed and flexible schedule.
Physical Therapist
Physical therapists work directly with patients to improve body movement and posture. They also help patients recover from injuries and post-surgery rehabilitation. Although you need a doctoral degree to become a physical therapist in the United States, sometimes a degree in exercise science supplemented with a medical license can suffice.
A career in physical therapy can net you a job worth $75,000 or above per annum. It is an active job with a window open for a lot of growth and experience.
Wellness Program Manager
If you want a health-related job with all that jazz that comes with the business world, this is probably the job for you! Wellness managers plan, develop, and execute policies to improve employees’ wellness and health in an organization. They do this via different lifestyle programs like stress relief workshops, workload management, mental health management, and whatnot. Even though wellness managers have to report to senior managers, they have complete authority regarding their job with little to no interference. And, of course, the glamour of the corporate world comes with a handsome pay scale.
Exercise Physiologist
No, this isn’t a fancy term for a gym instructor who probably just uses random vids on YouTube as a primary source of information. An exercise physiologist goes into detail about understanding the human body and its reaction to physical exercise. They are experts in disease management and in improving the quality of life. Suppose you choose to go down this career path. In that case, you will most likely be working in hospitals, medical centers, clinics, rehabilitation centers, and the gym as well.
PE Teacher
A physical education teacher trains and teaches different kinds of exercises to school-aged kids. They’re like fitness trainers, but usually for a younger target group. While this profession might not rank at the top in the money-making list, it is gratifying in its unique way. PE teachers have many fringe benefits attached to their jobs, including a relaxed work schedule, government pension, and getting summers and winters off! Their job might not even require a lot of blood, sweat, and tears than others on this list. The job comprises of teaching mostly basic exercises and sports like soccer and basketball.
Chiropractors
Chiropractors treat patients with joint issues in their muscles, nerve, and bones. They help relieve chronic back and neck pain in a stately way. They help improve the body’s physical function and spinal motion and treat other pain and health issues through spinal adjustment and manipulation procedures. However, along with your degree in exercise science, you might need to get a medical license to practice professionally.
Community Program Director
Community program directors help set up after school programs for children. These include educational, social, recreational, and cultural programs. However, these are not limited to only children. All members of a specific community or town can participate in them.
Fitness Blogger
Technology and the mass demand for a social media presence in nearly all professions have changed the world. Influencer marketing is ripe, especially on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. You can use the knowledge you acquire with a degree in exercise science to become a fitness blogger and get many followers if you have the knack for content creation. This includes different physical exercises, tips and techniques for fitness, and nutrition and diet consultancy.
Becoming a fitness blogger requires no formal education in exercise science since no one asks for it. But, if you have one, you are more likely to be trusted online and thus gain more traction on your content.
Online Coach
This is another prevalent trend. One of the main reasons behind this is convenience. People can workout in the comfort of their homes and still seek professional help. If you’re a fitness enthusiast, you can leverage a degree in exercise science in combination with digital tools to become a successful online coach. Much like fitness blogging, having a relevant qualification would help build your digital authority and trustworthiness. You could even reap the benefits of both professions as they rely extensively on content creation.
Entrepreneurship
And last but not least, if you like to be your own boss, start your fitness gym and become an entrepreneur!
Conclusion
These are merely a few of the many professions you can adopt after obtaining a degree in exercise science. For some, a bachelor’s degree might be a stepping stone, while it might be the direct path for others. Before deciding which career you want to pursue, keep education, time investment, salary, and most importantly, your goals in mind.
