EDUCATION TRENDS Rick Howard
www.youthsportfitnesscoach.com
What is the “next level” for personal trainers?
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o be recognized as a profession, personal training needs to take it to the next level. What is the next level and how do we get there? While there are differences of opinion as to what the best next level is, several next level constructs exist in other professions, which might help us sort through the plethora of educational next level opportunities in personal training. The three primary next levels that need to be explored are: the career ladder, education, and professional credentialing. The three next levels often occur together (e.g. the need of increased education, such as a master’s degree, for example, in order to climb the career ladder).
confirmation bias. Challenge yourself to learn things in your proximal zone of development, which is right outside your comfort zone. Another way to look at increasing your educational value is to change audience from whom you learn or to whom you present the information. Think about how expanding into different areas can improve your professionalism, perspective, and knowledge-base. Experience as an instructor in a certification program or at a local college could expand your horizons and connect the theory and application of personal training, both to your students and to your clients. Other possibilities include life coaching, wellness counseling, nutrition counseling, and strength and conditioning. PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALING
THE CAREER LADDER
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” Attributed to Albert Einstein While climbing the career ladder is not often thought of in terms of increasing education, on-the-job training (also known as experience) is a key criterion for employment in almost any profession. This is due to the invaluable learning opportunities that experience provides. When you find yourself bemoaning the fact that you have not climbed the career ladder quickly, be sure you did not inadvertently skip a rung of the ladder. Check the educational and experiential requirements of the rungs on your career ladder that will get you where you want to go and work backwards from the top rung to be sure you are gaining the right educational experiences. Ask yourself if you truly have put everything you have into each position you have held along the way and maximized your potential to learn and grow. EDUCATION
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” Attributed to Aristotle When taking education to the next level, most personal trainers think of the two most common methods: college degree progressions (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and post-doctoral) and certifications (unaccredited to accredited, certificate, certifications, and specialty certifications). While this path is important for increasing knowledge and skills as well for climbing the career ladder, getting another certificate or certification just to get one is not necessarily going to get you to the next level, especially if it serves only to validate your
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“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” Attributed to Sidney J. Harris While we are improving ourselves to be the best personal trainers we can be, there remains the elephant in the room—what are the nextstep opportunities that will improve the credibility of the profession as a whole? With so many choices available to get certified, every certification cannot possibly provide a minimum standard of education and practical application (when choosing a certification, be sure it meets independent accreditation criteria and has a comprehensive continuing education component that must be verified). Getting to the next level means that accredited providers should share criteria and create a minimum standard of proficiency that all personal trainers should meet, which should include steps to climb the career ladder and how to make the most of educational offerings. Similarly, this is an excellent opportunity for next level personal trainers to share best practices in the art and science of personal training from their experience and from what their education has taught them. By building a network of professional colleagues that share best practices and evidence-based information, a solid base of participants in the process of establishing accreditation information and standards can be established. Personal training can be taken to the next level, but only if we all step up to the next level.
Rick Howard, M.Ed., CSCS, *D is completing his doctorate in Health Promotion and Wellness at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. He has been training athletes of all ages and abilities for more than 30 years. He currently is the Director of Fitness at the Wilmington (DE) Country Club and a college professor at West Chester (PA) University and Rowan (NJ) University.