Nutrition

I have been thinking a lot, for a long time, about what I want to do for living in the future. It really is a hard decision to make. Of course you can always change career, but you don’t want to ”waste” years of education on something you end up not liking to work with. I have two major interests, health and technology. Maybe health weighs heavier, and technology is more of a hobby. Anyway, since I have always been interested in science and especially the human body, that made me think of becoming a doctor when I was younger. But then again, I dread hospitals and all that comes with it -- surgeries, blood, needles and even death, so doctor might not be my thing.

What I did not think about before, was that there is so many different jobs in the same field. And ever since I started to take basketball very seriously I have been thinking a lot about finding something that can help me in my sport, or where my sport can help me in my job. That was when I first thought about becoming a dietitian or nutritionist. I like eating healthy and would like to learn even more about it. That would help myself in my lifestyle as an athlete, if I keep up with my basketball when I get older, but even if I don’t I can live healthy. Of course I get a chance to help other people that have weight problems, or maybe other athletes to make more out of their lives. And I will also make money on it. That seems like a very good combination to me!

So how much money will I earn? Is it enough for me? How about if I have kids? The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that the average salary in 2002 for dietitians and nutritionists was $43,520. To me that is enough, actually more than I thought a nutritionist could make. Of course money is an important factor in your choice of career, but as important as that, or even more important is to like what you are doing. That makes life more fun. But I definitely think that I could make a good life for both me and my children with that salary. Plus my children will be healthy because of the good food they will get every day ;)

The chances to get an employment after the education looks pretty good. I have seen many ads about people who wants to hire a nutritionist. And since the world is focusing more and more on health I don’t think there will be a very big problem in the future either. You just have to be patient when you look for jobs. Even if it is hard, keep trying, because your time will come.