I know I said I wasn't going to write a blog until Tuesday but I am doing some serious reflecting.
I have completed about 1/3 of the program at The Institute of Holistic Nutrition in my quest to become a Registered Nutritional Practitioner.
I am trying to decide of I want to complete the program.
The problem is it is eating up my life and as much as I do not want to admit it it is impacting my current career and it is affecting the inflow of money. My current clients have never suffered but I have no time to pursue new business and rely completley on referrals at the present time. Thank goodness for referrals!
Spending two days a week in school until 2pm and then doing assignments, reading, and studying for exams takes an incredible amount of time. I have managed to do it for a year, but it would realistically take me two more years to complete the program and I am wondering if it is worth it...or if I even have it in me.
In terms of a career change it isn't really viable. The chances of my replacing my Real Estate income with "Nutritionist" income is remote at best.
So why am I doing this program?
It started as a desire for self-knowledge, then it became a goal to use this information to help others once I graduate.
I still want the knowledge and I still want to help others but I am wondering if this is really the best way.
From self knowledge perspective I have always felt that knowing where to get information is just as important as having it. I now know where to get information and I know so many Nutritionists I have great resources. My friend Anthony is the best resource there is out there I think.
From a "helping others" perspective the question really becomes whether I would set up my own practice post-graduation or not. If I am not setting up my own practice there are lots of ways to help others without the official designation of "nutritionist".
As much as I like the idea, setting up my own practice probably isn't viable. It can be expensive, will take a lot of time, and at the end of the day, it is unlikely to replace my Real Estate income.
So the question becomes...do I keep going for two more years, or do I give up the concept of being a Registered Nutritional Practitioner and simply take courses in nutrition when the topics interest me?
I would, for example, love to devote more time to taking nutritional cooking courses.
I have not made a decision yet but I am leaning toward dropping out.
Thoughts anyone?
Be healthy,
Alan
I have completed about 1/3 of the program at The Institute of Holistic Nutrition in my quest to become a Registered Nutritional Practitioner.
I am trying to decide of I want to complete the program.
The problem is it is eating up my life and as much as I do not want to admit it it is impacting my current career and it is affecting the inflow of money. My current clients have never suffered but I have no time to pursue new business and rely completley on referrals at the present time. Thank goodness for referrals!
Spending two days a week in school until 2pm and then doing assignments, reading, and studying for exams takes an incredible amount of time. I have managed to do it for a year, but it would realistically take me two more years to complete the program and I am wondering if it is worth it...or if I even have it in me.
In terms of a career change it isn't really viable. The chances of my replacing my Real Estate income with "Nutritionist" income is remote at best.
So why am I doing this program?
It started as a desire for self-knowledge, then it became a goal to use this information to help others once I graduate.
I still want the knowledge and I still want to help others but I am wondering if this is really the best way.
From self knowledge perspective I have always felt that knowing where to get information is just as important as having it. I now know where to get information and I know so many Nutritionists I have great resources. My friend Anthony is the best resource there is out there I think.
From a "helping others" perspective the question really becomes whether I would set up my own practice post-graduation or not. If I am not setting up my own practice there are lots of ways to help others without the official designation of "nutritionist".
As much as I like the idea, setting up my own practice probably isn't viable. It can be expensive, will take a lot of time, and at the end of the day, it is unlikely to replace my Real Estate income.
So the question becomes...do I keep going for two more years, or do I give up the concept of being a Registered Nutritional Practitioner and simply take courses in nutrition when the topics interest me?
I would, for example, love to devote more time to taking nutritional cooking courses.
I have not made a decision yet but I am leaning toward dropping out.
Thoughts anyone?
Be healthy,
Alan
6 comments:
Interesting - I had a student when i taught at IHN, Thomas, or Tomasso, who was a realtor, and he really made a go of being an RNCP (what the natural nutritionists were calling themselves then). He set up in one of the gyms where I already was, but put more effort into it than I had. Setting up practice can be very low cost- you just have to piggy-back onto a spa or gym.
Personally, I have found nutrition to be very awesome and rewarding, but it has not made me millions, lol. It has been part of my income stream, and though I think it's possible to make a healthy income with it alone, it has always been just a part for me.
back to Tomasso- he got out of nutrition a while later, telling me that it just was not pulling in enough, and went back to realty. he was glad to have the training, but relegated it to a personal and hobby activity.
Another friend of mine, Julie is a nutritonist with much much exposure; books, TV shows, and she took years of plugging away while keeping her day job at a health store, before her career in nat. nutrition could sustain her. Now it does, and good for her- she's earned it.
Alan, my 2 cents is to slow down your course load, and/or find a distance learning alternative- set class time is a big time drain- even if it is more fun than sitting at home and doing an internet course. Maybe one course at a time, here and there at IHN, if you dig IHN. And ya, don't quit the day job.
Setting up an alternate to Bernstein could be lucrative and a service to humanity, but man, marketing has to be heavy it seems, to get anywhere with that sort of thing. And with vitamins being under the gun, legally, and continually, the future of my field looks uncertain.
does that shed any light- hope so.
Thanks for that Anthony. It does help. I will have to check with the Institute and see if there is any set time frame in which you have to complete the program. If there isn't I suppose there is no reason to "officially" drop out. I just might not finish it for ten years LOL. Seriously though, there are a couple of courses I would really WANT to take, like comparative diets and Sports Nutrition, so maybe I just have to reset my expectations. Take what I want to take and not make the designation at the end an absolute requirement.
When you're considering if you want to continue with nutrition, you must also consider whether you really want to stay with realty.
Yes, this is time consuming and the outcome is uncertain in terms of finances. But doing something you are passionate about is worth its weight in gold. YOu've started down a road and though admittedly the road is bumpy sometimes, do you really want to just end up where you began? There must be a third way. hugs.
Quade. You always put things so beautifully succinctly.
I think there is a third way and that is to do the program but to do it at different pace. There doesn't have to be an "end date".
My other reality (and only older people will understand this) is that I am approaching fifty. I have no problems with that. I am actually looking forward to the second half of my life, but I am not sure I want to be starting a new career at 55.
I think my reality may be that Real Estate is my career (and I am fine with that...there are plusses to it...like being able to take courses during the day) and coaching others on Nutrition and Health may become my "retirement" practice.
I can help a lot of old farts like myself in the future :-)
Geriatric Nutritionist! A very lucrative profession if you get the right geriatrics!
I amy already have the first part down!
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