Second career in nutrition
May 9, 2011 5:20 PM
'Second Career' snowflake considering going back to school to become a nutritionist/dietitian . . . would love advice!
'Second career' is in quotes because I haven't had much of a first career yet, and am still trying to identify a career that will open up a magical world of unending happiness for me. I'm wondering if a career in dietetics could be it . . . or at least something that makes me feel ok about getting up at 7 am most days of the week.
I (US citizen/living in US) have a Bachelor's in history and have very few science classes under my belt. I understand I would have a long way to go. I did take Chem 1 when I was thinking about becoming a nurse -- I did well and actually enjoyed it, so while I know I would have a lot of intense science classes ahead, it is something that I think I could handle. I have a great personal interest in nutrition and healthy living, I enjoy work where I interact with people, and I have a real desire to feel like I am doing something positive in the world. I also hear that it is a fairly physically-active profession, which I would love because I Hate (really, I cannot express how much) being chained to a desk and computer all day, every day. I also like that it sounds like a career where there is a decent variety of specializations/venues for work, which I would love because I like to mix things up every so often to prevent boredom.
I'm wondering if there are any nutritionists on the board who may have general advice about going into this career, and I'd especially love to hear from second career nutritionists about their experience.
One important question: how do you feel about the job market? It looks like the BLS says the career should have average growth in the next decade or so. Is the market over-saturated with new grads or anything like that? I kept hearing that about nursing, which is one of the reasons I decided against it as a career.
What are the awful things I should know? The awesome things? The things in between?
Thanks!
'Second career' is in quotes because I haven't had much of a first career yet, and am still trying to identify a career that will open up a magical world of unending happiness for me. I'm wondering if a career in dietetics could be it . . . or at least something that makes me feel ok about getting up at 7 am most days of the week.
I (US citizen/living in US) have a Bachelor's in history and have very few science classes under my belt. I understand I would have a long way to go. I did take Chem 1 when I was thinking about becoming a nurse -- I did well and actually enjoyed it, so while I know I would have a lot of intense science classes ahead, it is something that I think I could handle. I have a great personal interest in nutrition and healthy living, I enjoy work where I interact with people, and I have a real desire to feel like I am doing something positive in the world. I also hear that it is a fairly physically-active profession, which I would love because I Hate (really, I cannot express how much) being chained to a desk and computer all day, every day. I also like that it sounds like a career where there is a decent variety of specializations/venues for work, which I would love because I like to mix things up every so often to prevent boredom.
I'm wondering if there are any nutritionists on the board who may have general advice about going into this career, and I'd especially love to hear from second career nutritionists about their experience.
One important question: how do you feel about the job market? It looks like the BLS says the career should have average growth in the next decade or so. Is the market over-saturated with new grads or anything like that? I kept hearing that about nursing, which is one of the reasons I decided against it as a career.
What are the awful things I should know? The awesome things? The things in between?
Thanks!
This thread is closed to new comments.
For example: There seems to be a dearth of child nutrition professionals right now. A lot of people in the field are reaching retirement age and there doesn't appear to be enough dietitians to backfill behind them. There are constant recruitment drives for Child Nutrition Educators/Consultants in school districts and government agencies, if you wanted to work in civil service.
I'm not sure how things are in private industry. I do know that the dietitian that I saw in private practice has a booming business, and nearly every bariatric surgery center has a dietitian on staff. Given the rise in bariatric surgeries, that could be a growing field.
Note: You could be a nutritionist right now if you wanted to. All you have to do is call yourself one, maybe print up a few business cards. Nutritionist isn't a regulated title in the US, anyone can call themselves one. To have a serious professional career, you should look at being a Registered Dietitian.
posted by elsietheeel at 6:37 PM on May 9, 2011