Blog Post #3: After High School

After high school, I want to go to college. The major I will likely want to have is exercise science. This major is sometimes called kinesiology, exercise physiology, or exercise biology. The names listed are majors offered at four year universities that are very similar in terms of curriculum, so I hope to have one of these majors as an undergraduate. From there, I would ideally like to go to graduate school where I could continue my studies for two years and earn a Master's Degree in Physical Therapy.

For the purpose of this blog, I will explore 3 jobs common to people who have majored in exercise science (or the related majors): physical therapy, athletic training, and occupational therapy.

Physical Therapist

• Average pay: $82,180 before taxes
• In the US, the average wage is the highest in Nevada, Alaska, New Jersey, California, and Texas. Northern and Midwestern states have the lowest average wages.
• Required education: Before they are allowed to practice, physical therapists must have earned graduate degrees from accredited academic programs in physical therapy. These programs typically culminate in a masters or doctorate degree.
• Personality: determined, supportive, compassionate, confident, resilient, fit, health conscious, sociable, cooperative

Athletic Trainer

• Average pay: $44,030 before taxes
• In the US, the average wage is the highest in New Jersey, District of Columbia, Texas, Massachusetts, and California. States with the lowest average wages are scattered throughout the country but more concentrated in the North.
• Required education: To become certified athletic trainer, a student must graduate with bachelors or masters degree from an accredited professional athletic training education program and pass a comprehensive test administered by the Board of Certification.
• Personality: decisive, confident, active listener, effective communicator, leader, remains calm in the midst of chaos, observant, exact

Occupational Therapist

• Average pay: $77,890 before taxes
• In the US, the average wage is the highest in Nevada, California, New Jersey, Texas, and the District of Columbia. States with the lowest wages are heavily concentrated in the North.
• Required education: To become a certified occupational therapist, a student must graduate with a masters degree from an accredited academic program in occupational therapy.
• Personality: effective communicator, people person, problem solver, physical strength, compassionate, empathetic, organizational, patient

Right now, physical therapy is my first choice, not because it has a high salary, but because it has everything I am looking for in a career. It would allow me to use my passion and knowledge of how the human body works to help people recover from physical ailments. While physical therapy is currently my top choice, I am still open to other career paths. I had little previous knowledge of occupational therapy, but after researching it, I discovered that it is a very interesting career as well. By majoring in exercise science, a variety of jobs will be available to me. Whether I am a physical therapist, athletic trainer, occupational therapist, or any other exercise science professional, I believe that I will live a happy life.