If you're a fitness nut in Northeast Ohio, you can now turn your passion for activity into a job opportunity through a new program at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C). According to a press release from Tri-C, a new associate degree program, Sport and Exercise Studies (SES), launches this Fall 2008.
The degree prepares students for positions such as:
• Fitness Specialist
• Personal Trainer
• Recreation Director
• Program Manager/Director
• Group Fitness Instructor
• Health Fitness Instructor
• Sport Coach
The U.S. Department of Labor says that jobs for fitness workers are expected to increase 27 percent over the 2006-2016 decade, much faster than the average for all occupations; due to rapid job growth in health clubs, fitness facilities, and other settings.
In May 2007, for example, according to the Department of Labor, there were 6450 jobs for fitness trainers and aerobics instructors in the state of Ohio. the median hourly salary was $9.82 and the median annual salary was $25,000. In the Cleveland/Elyria/Mentor region specifically, there were 1150 jobs, with a median hourly pay rate of $12.35 or an annual salary of $20,020.
In May 2006, median annual earnings nationwide of fitness trainers and aerobics instructors were $25,910, not including self-employed workers. Earnings of successful self-employed personal trainers can be much higher. The largest numbers of fitness workers in 2006 were in the following industries:
Median Salary
General medical and surgical hospitals $29,640
Local government $27,720
Fitness and recreational sports centers $27,200
Other schools and instruction $22,770
Civic and social organizations $22,630
In order to advance in this field, the Department of Labor says "A bachelor’s degree in exercise science, physical education, kinesiology (the study of muscles, especially the mechanics of human motion), or a related area, along with experience, usually is required to advance to management positions in a health club or fitness center. Some organizations require a master’s degree. As in other occupations, managerial skills are also needed to advance to supervisory or managerial positions. College courses in management, business administration, accounting, and personnel management may be helpful, but many fitness companies have corporate universities in which they train employees for management positions.
Personal trainers may advance to head trainer, with responsibility for hiring and overseeing the personal training staff and for bringing in new personal training clients. Group fitness instructors may be promoted to group exercise director, responsible for hiring instructors and coordinating exercise classes. Later, a worker might become the fitness director, who manages the fitness budget and staff. Workers might also become the general manager, whose main focus is the financial aspects of an organization, particularly setting and achieving sales goals; in a small fitness center, however, the general manager is usually involved with all aspects of running the facility. Some workers go into business for themselves and open their own fitness centers."
Coursework for the degree includes anatomy and physiology; instructional techniques of cardiorespiratory, flexibility, and resistance training; sport injury care; CPR and first aid; sport management; fitness coaching; exercise physiology; kinesiology; exercise testing; exercise program design; personal training and group fitness instructor certification preparation; and practicum experience.
Tri-C's program includes classes in:
Principles of Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Muscular Strength and Conditioning
Sport Injury Care
First Aid
CPR
AED
Sport Management
Exercise Physiology
Fitness and Wellness Coaching
Kinesiology
Students can enroll now for fall classes, which are available at all three main campuses. Fall courses include SES 1000: introduction to sport and exercise studies; SES 1040: instructional techniques of training; and SES 1200: fitness and wellness coaching.
For more information about fitness careers and training, contact:
IDEA Health and Fitness Association, 10455 Pacific Center Court., San Diego, CA 92121-4339.
National Strength and Conditioning Association, 1885 Bob Johnson Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80906. Internet: http://www.nsca-lift.org/
For information about personal trainer and group fitness instructor certifications, contact:
American College of Sports Medicine, P.O. Box 1440, Indianapolis, IN 46206-1440. Internet: http://www.acsm.org/
American Council on Exercise, 4851 Paramount Dr., San Diego, CA 92123. Internet: http://www.acefitness.org/
National Academy of Sports Medicine, 26632 Agoura Rd., Calabasas, CA 91302. Internet: http://www.nasm.org/
NSCA Certification Commission, 3333 Landmark Circle, Lincoln, NE 68504. Internet: http://www.nsca-cc.org/
For information about Pilates certification and training programs, contact:
Pilates Method Alliance, P.O. Box 370906, Miami, FL 33137-0906. Internet: http://www.pilatesmethodalliance.org/
For information on yoga teacher training programs, contact:
Yoga Alliance, 7801 Old Branch Ave., Suite 400, Clinton, MD 20735. Internet: http://www.yogaalliance.org/
To find accredited fitness certification programs, contact:
National Commission for Certifying Agencies, 2025 M St., NW., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036. Internet: http://www.noca.org/ncca/accredorg.htm
For information about health clubs and sports clubs, contact:
International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association, 263 Summer St., Boston, MA 02210. Internet: http://www.ihrsa.org/
Sources:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos296.htm
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes399031.htm
http://www.tri-c.edu/programs/sportsmanagement/Pages/default.aspx
http://data.bls.gov/oes/occupation.do
Jill Bernaciak
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440-668-3446
What's Your Major? SM
P.O. Box 321
Berea, OH 44017-9918
My mission is to empower youth with: - The knowledge about career possibilities, and the education and training needed to attain them - The creative-thinking and emotional skills that make for good career decisions and which employers prefer; - And the resilience needed to flourish in life.
