<p>I am interested in kinesiology but what jobs can come from it. Does it set you up for a bright future?</p>
<p>One can get a job as an athletic trainer, personal trainer or do physical therapy or occupational therapy. These are just some options. You can even apply to medical school, assuming you also take your premed requirements as well and get a high GPA and high MCATs. And PA school would be another option. </p>
<p>But it is not clear what you mean by bright future. If you mean will you make a lot of money with just a bachelor’s degree, the answer is probably not, but you can do ok. (And if you are lucky enough to become a personal trainer to the stars, the sky is the limit!) If you have a passion for the field and do not dig a huge hole for yourself financially by borrowing more than you can pay, you can have a “bright future” by majoring in Kinesiology. There are probably a glut of people with bachelor’s degrees, and not a ton of jobs as trainers, but the cream always rises to the top, so if you have the passion, and make the necessary connections, and are personable, you will have job opportunities. And if you go to grad school for PT or OT, you will expand your options, though perhaps your debt as well. I think that while it is wise to consider the job market before embarking on a field of study, if you are passionate and love the field and have the personality and drive to succeed, you should not be afraid to embark on a path like this. As the population ages, there will be more and more need for physical and occupational therapists. Just do not get your heart set on being the trainer for a pro sports team - those jobs are few and far between. That is like communication majors who want “on air” jobs in tv news. Happens, but would not bet the farm on it. </p>
<p>I repeat what barbfam1 said but in addition, being a Personal Trainer is a wonderful career choice that allows you to set your own schedule, which is what I did and made it so worth it. </p>
<p>Very vague questions. I once knew someone studeying for an advanced dgree in that and it involved a lot of research. For undergrad, look this over:
<a href=“404 - PAGE NOT FOUND | UTSA”>https://www.utsa.edu/careercenter/PDFs/Erics%20files/kin[2].pdf</a></p>
<p>some advanced degrees may be required
<a href=“American Kinesiology Association | Careers in Kinesiology”>http://www.americankinesiology.org/careers-in-kinesiology</a></p>
<p>What does “worth it” mean to you? You can look at the job options and pay scale vs what you are paying for the years and training. More importantly, is this something you want to do? My son’s SO decided it was not after working as PT aid for few years and decided to go for an OT Master’s instead. And she was working at a premier center for this sort of thing. </p>
<p>For me, it would not have been worth it, as the job descriptions are not anything that I want to be doing. Yuk. I don’t like hands on type work, and I don’t like exercise or anything that the field has.</p>
<p>My biggest concern about these majors when they are declared as freshmen and are in some 6-7 year program is when the students and parents take a teenager’s declaration to heart and invest big bucks, borrowing the money at times to fund this at a cost that they would not otherwise consider. Yes, a PT degree, Phar degree, Engineering degree, CPA desig, STEM majors all mean good job opportunities and the numbers for pay look mighty good, but it takes years to get the degree, the major and the drop out, transfer rates in those fields are very high. </p>
<p>I ran into an acquaintance who proudly told me her DD is going into some kinesiology program to tune of $65K a year or so for I don’t even know how many years at a very expensive school. The parents are only supporting this cost for that end result which is their DD getting the degree and finding one of those jobs that pay a good living wage. She’s 18, she’s highly likely to change her mind or maybe Biochem and O-chem could take her out. It’s not a sure thing. I know of two families, personally, who went into tremendous debts as investments in their kids. They started out in such programs, switched tracks and are now underemployed with no way to even pay the interest on the loans taken. To not take that possible happening into situation when dealing with teen aspirations, is really ludicrous, IMO> Of course, they are likely to change their minds. If you are paying anyways, regardless of major or possible job outcome, that’s one thing, but that’s not always a great investment to make. </p>