Senior Kit Hillion decided to become a personal trainer to make some extra money and get experience for future jobs. Her advisor, Dr. Hallion, recommended that she look into the job openings in the area. On the main line, an hourly wage can range anywhere from 25-60 dollars.
A personal trainer is someone who is educated enough about the body to create work out plans for people. Everyone is different, and most people want different workouts, whether it is for weight loss, muscle gain or increasing athletic performance. It is important for a personal trainer to have knowledge in all of these areas in order to do the job efficiently.
“I like working with people, but I do not see many athletes, which is more my area of specialty,” Hillion said.
Hillion feels that if a student wants to have a personal trainer, and they can afford one, then they should go for it. Advantages of having a trainer include having someone to help you workout correctly. In addition, it pushes a person more to do more then they would normally. Finally, the trainer can create different programs for different concepts of training, and it can make it more interesting.
Hillion explained that there are many job opportunities in the field of personal training, but it is not what she wants to do when she gets out of college. It is all commission based, so she does not feel it is stable. “I am looking more towards sports training centers, which is working with athletes and teams individually, and has more stability I feel,” Hillion said.
“I work in the fitness room at the Dixon Center because I enjoy helping people. With my major and future job plans, I need this experience. It gives me a feel for being a personal trainer, if I should decide to become one,” Desiree Ferrell, a sophomore sports science major, said.
Personal trainers are sometimes expensive for college students, therefore the Dixon Center offers a staff of sports science majors, like Ferrell, to assist those in need. It makes more sense to have them, because students who use the gym mostly do what they know how and would not need the constant supervision of a trainer.
Senior Melanie Klaus works in the Dixon Center as well. She claims that her knowledge and hands-on experience with the job will certainly help her in her future endeavors. “I think that working in the fitness room is the closest thing to being a personal trainer for a college campus. There is not a high demand for trainers here, so we help out people in the gym when needed,” Klaus said.
