Help Me: What do I want to be when I grow up? (43yo version)

Like the thread title says I am 43 years old and am not sure what I want to do for employment until I retire. I have been a Personal Trainer for the last 24 years with the most recent 15 in my own studio. I make great hourly money, I really like my clients, and I quite enjoy the work, but right now some things have come up that have me looking at full time employment. I realize I am asking for a lot in my requirements, but it has to be worth leaving a career I love (plus you guys always amaze me with your knowledge base so I have to ask).

The requirements:

• In or around Gainesville, Fl

• More than $50k a year within 5 years.

• Decent benefits package.

• Attainable with less than 3 years of additional education.

• Salary not largely dependent on sales.

Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree in Exercise Science from The University of Florida
• 15 years of experience running a small business
• 5 years of Management Experience
• 3 years as an Aquatics director of a Private Swim Club.
• High level of general mechanical aptitude.
• 23 years of experience in Maintaining positive relationships with Clients and Members with a strong focus on retention.

While my Degree is in Exercise Science, I did complete a fair amount of Math going through Calculus 1 and 2, and Differential Equations. I will consider careers requiring a Masters Degree but I would prefer them not to require a Doctorate. I am OK with starting over with a 2 year degree if that leads to a decent job. I have some ideas of my own, but I don't want to push the answers in any particular direction so I will leave those for later in the thread.
Thank you guys.

Infosec and information system auditing isn't bad, and is strongly driven by professional certifications. $50k should be fairly easy. 5 years experience will get you a CISSP, and that certification will open a lot of doors.

Your resume yells sales of some sort.Do be aware however, that like all things, aptitude will get you in the door, but sales is actually a well refined science and will require some learning to get good at. The other thing with sales is that the entry level can be a starvation paycheck until you come up to speed. You have not really arrived in sales until you get a repeat customer base.

The question I would ask you is who are your contacts? In a way, they can be more important than your education. As a trainer, you have interacted with a broad swath of the population. I am sure you have insight into a lot of careers. Do any of these careers call out to you and are you able to leverage any of your contacts into an opportunity?

Ups driver. Then management. Long hours but good pay and great benefits.

I'm a few years ahead of you and still dont know what I want to be when I grow up. I make a great living in IT but god I hate it.

I really want to move to Pensacola and open a scooter rental and repair business and basically be a beach bum. I have a few rental properties there and would like to add more but really feel I need to be there to grow that investment. But basically I want to get out of the rat race.

I'm 43. I am pretty sure that I will never grow up.

EastCoastMojo wrote: I'm 43. I am pretty sure that I will never grow up.

They say if you can make it to 45 without growing up you don't have to

How about manufacturing? Cnc machines are cool toys, you can get your feet in the door as an operator with a certificate, then work your way up to programming or setting them up.

Operators will be the lowest pay, most entry level, probably 35-40kish. As you level up to setup guy, you should be able to pull 50 if you're willing to hustle and actually think about the process, then you move into programming fixture design.

That's where you can really spread out and have some fun. A solid 3 axis programmer running Mastercam should be able to pull in 60 (depending on area), and the sky is the limit. I know a lot of 5 axis programmers pulling over 100k per year.

Then, if you're good, your can always become an applications guy for a machine tool sales company or retire to instructing at a local college..

https://www.abcop.org/individual-certification/Pages/orthotistandprosthetist.aspx

I agree with the sales part. If you get the right kind of position, 50K is very low. 100K + is pretty easy if you pay attention and learn the science. Yes there is a science to it.

The other thing is get with a manufacturer and not a reseller. That is the key to sanity. You get a little less to start but you also get a solid book of business to start usually and a lot more resources at your disposal.

Just to give you an idea, where I work you can easily be over 80K a year withing 5 years if you are good and driven.

There is a shop near me that manufacturers prosthetics.

You'd be good at that. Combines your knowledge of anatomy with your interest in mechanical stuff.

I've got a few other ideas- I'll talk to you soon.

My idiot cousin got a degree in prosthetics. Turns out his idiot quotient overrides any good qualities of the job.

My ex is a PTA and for a two year degree the rewards can be stupidly high (80K a year or better) and it's basically personal trainer with Medicare reimbursement and more old folks in your client list.

You might take a look at www.usajobs.gov and see if anything there interests you.

And I'm 44 but only marginally certain of what I want to be when I grow up.

Silly me. Here I am thinking everybody wants to be a race car driver when they grow up.

EastCoastMojo wrote: I'm 43. I am pretty sure that I will never grow up.

thread jack … we haven't heard from you about your job lately … how's it going

now back to our regularly scheduled programs

In reply to MrJoshua:

It sounds like you already have a job that provides everything you want, except enough billable hours to make the annual income you want?

Thanks for the replies so far. A few of the options have me searching for local education opportunities.

@everyone-I'm in no hurry to grow up, but it would be nice to make more money.

@petegosset-several factors have me looking for other opportunities. Billable hours is one definite factor. I know how to improve on those and grow the business to a much more lucrative level, but that is more about being a businessman than a trainer. That part is fun as well, but its not my passion. I'm hoping with a bit of education and a career change I can earn similar money to my earnings when my business is pushed to a high level.

Cnc manufacturing is a great one. Getting a welding cert is a big one as well. Being certified in aerospace welding can bring big money in the right area with the benefit of knowing a really cool skill. In ct we used to pay welders $25-40 an hour with good overtime options.

So. Here's some other weird suggestions.

Nursing. In demand with good solid hours and great pay

Chiropractic school. Say what you will but I have a good Chiro who is a strength coach as well. He is incredible.

Fire fighter. You are in good enough shape to make it.

Franchise something. Like a smoothie place or a popcorn stand.

http://woman.thenest.com/become-physicians-assistant-sports-medicine-19450.html With two more years of education could you be a sports med pa?

Nursing. You probably only need the nursing classes to have the degree, either ADN or BSN. I'm on pace to make more then 50k this year fresh out of school and working about 36hrs (3-12hr shifts)/wk.

JThw8 wrote:

EastCoastMojo wrote: I'm 43. I am pretty sure that I will never grow up.

They say if you can make it to 45 without growing up you don't have to

Oh cool, that means I don't have to .

@MrJoshua, one thing to think about is that you've been your own boss for 15 years if I read your post correctly. Do you think you'll be OK working for someone else without getting frustrated?

A job at the VA rehibilitating veterans?

Healthcare - there is a push for community health improvement across the country. Nurses aren't that good at it - they tend to teach and lecture, but generally aren't so good at coaching. So maybe community health advocate/trainer. Rehab ends up with the specialty degrees/certification and is a different animal than improving lifestyle/choices.

I'd imagine something in physical therapy, rehab or sports medicine would be the closest jump from where you are now.
To second Ranger50, nursing is a great field: I've worked in an eclectic variety of positions from critical care to IT to open heart surgery. Around here there are 1-2 year waiting lists to start many nursing programs.

Not to be an shiny happy person here, but you have successfully run your own business for 15 years. Its time to start another. Why do people who can work for themselves ever go to work for someone else? Lets see 50k in 5 years. Learn a new business. Because you clearly have people skills and marketing experience. If you want to send your life in a cubical farm for 50k go ahead I just think you are selling yourself short. Hell you could make 50k in 6 months. Step 1 put your degree to work get crossfit certified. Step 2 start a crossfit and put your marketing skills to work. Hell most of them in denver are just abandoned garages filled with tractor tires and E36 M3 you could weld together from scrap. Step 3 sell said crossfit for 18 months profit step 4 rinse and repeat until cross fit is no longer cool and move on to the next trend. Retire when your 50. In short don't sell your self short. My friend did this exact thing with Zumba 5 years ago and retired at 42.

Actually it hit me talking to a friend the other day. Occupation therapy. You can use a lot of the tenets of your current experience as a trainer just in a different way. Money is pretty good and the job forecast is really good. As a bonus, you can live where ever. They are needed all over.

JThw8 wrote:

EastCoastMojo wrote: I'm 43. I am pretty sure that I will never grow up.

They say if you can make it to 45 without growing up you don't have to

You mean I gotta make it another 10 years?