What Are The Best Career Options In Nutrition And Wellness
Theres a perfect job for everyone, whether you love to work with clients one-on-one or youd prefer to focus on developing products in the lab. If nutrition and wellness is something you have a passion for, you just need to bring your personality and lifestyle goals to discover the right fit.
You might be interested in being a holistic wellness coach and get to help people transform their whole lives. Or perhaps youd like to be a nutrition-focused technician and create healthy meals for people to rave about. Or you might love creating wellness plans that help people get more superfoods, vitamins, and minerals into their diets.
Whatever your dream career lifestyle might be, youll find some ideas here to help you get started.
Scope Of Career In Wellness & Nutrition Jobs
There are several ways to combine health and wellness with your professional interests and abilities. The area is continually developing and evolving, providing possibilities for anybody interested in nutrition and health to contribute their knowledge in a professional environment. Furthermore, the subject of health and wellness may add a rewarding aspect to your professional life by allowing you to educate others and have a good influence on them.
Wellness and Nutrition jobs provide a variety of exciting opportunities to help people better their lives through food. As a result, you may take pleasure in the emotions of pride and fulfilment that come from assisting others in achieving their goals. And, because of the fields diversity, youll probably never get bored.
So this was all about the famous and trending nutrition jobs of 2021. Stay connected with Leverage Edu for more educational content and to know about more such unconventional career option guides.
Nutrition Graduate Average Salary Levels
The average salary you could earn with a nutrition degree varies based on a wide variety of factors, such as:
The type, size, and budget of your employer
The discretion of your employer
Your level of education and experience
Your level of certification
The region in which you work
How much overtime you are able to work
The amount of responsibility inherent in your position
Your level of experience
Most importantly, however, the salary you could earn with this degree varies based on the career field you choose to pursue. Below is an overview of the average earnings of people in career fields that are relevant to a degree in nutrition.
Please Note: The salary information listed below is meant only to serve as a guideline. In many cases, workers in these fields can earn much more, or less less, than the figures stated.
Read Also: Career Transition Coaching New York
Thoughts From An Iawp Graduate
I chose to become a Holistic Wellness Coach as I always felt this role best matched my value system and what I stand for. My training is in the field of School Psychology and I always saw myself as a guide and coach to my students and parents versus the typical psychologist/counselor role.
I was less into analyzing a person and their past and more focused on their present concern and looking at ways to best support them in achieving their present goals. I have always seen the whole person, not just a piece of them or their challenge but their whole selves.
Guiding someone to become their best versions of themselves physically, socially and emotionally is why I love being a holistic wellness coach. It is a role that can bring a tremendous amount of empowerment to others and at the same time instill optimism, joy and a sense of fulfillment. What could be better?
Susan Batastini, Holistic Wellness Coach at Walk 2 Wellness
Salary Trends In Wellness & Nutrition Jobs
Professionals in the nutrition field earn a range of salaries based on their experience, location, and degree, much like those in other areas. It may also be determined by the industry in which you work. However, the estimated salary of a beginner in wellness and nutrition jobs will be somewhere between 25k to 35k a month. The salary tends to grow with the number of work experience youll have in the industry, education qualification, skills, etc.
Know the Cooking Legend of India, the Talented Tarla Dalal
You May Like: Psychology And Sociology Degree Career Options
What Are The Qualifications To Get A Job In Sports Nutrition
The qualifications to get a job in sports nutrition include at least a bachelors degree in a relevant subject, such as fitness, nutrition, food science, sports science, kinesiology, or anatomy. More complex jobs working with college, professional, or Olympic-level sports programs require you to be a registered dietitian or have a masters degree in sports nutrition. To become a registered dietician, you must complete a supervised training program, pass the national examination by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, and fulfill continuing education requirements. A career or previous experience in the specific sport in which you work is also beneficial. Jobs in sports nutrition require excellent interpersonal, communication, and analytical thinking skills, as well as a thorough understanding of food science, fitness, and health.
Typical Career Paths Of Graduates
If you plan on working in a nutrition-related field, you have the choice of taking 1 of 6 major paths. If your professional interests and ambitions fall within one of these areas, then you are on your way to refining your area of focus.
Clinical Nutrition: Involves the nutrition of patients in health care. Clinical nutritionists aim to keep a healthy energy balance in patients, as well as provide them with sufficient amounts other nutrients such as protein, fats, carbohydrates vitamins and minerals.
Public Health Nutrition: An area of concentration emphasizing the application of food and nutrition knowledge, policy, and research to the improvement of the health of populations.
Food Service Management: Provide nutritional care and supervising food service operations in health care settings and commercial food service establishments.
Food Science: A discipline concerned with examining all technical aspects of food using scientific methods and principles.
Nutrition Consulting: Includes providing nutritional advice to individuals, groups, athletes, or anyone who is interested in utilizing knowledge of nutrition to improve their health or athletic performance.
Teaching Nutrition: Involves teaching nutrition courses at various levels, including high schools, colleges, universities.
Read Also: New Career Paths At 40
What Are The Steps For Making A Career Change
Now that you have explored the different types of opportunities available in the health and wellness industry, the next step is to find the area that fits your interests and abilities the most.
Select the Right Field
As you read through the descriptions in the previous section, what resonated with you the most? What made you feel energized and eager to learn more? Youre contemplating a career change in order to draw on your passion for a certainfield, so dont be afraid to tap into and acknowledge that enthusiasm.
Another important question is, what are your strengths and weaknesses in terms of each option? Maybe you lean toward being a nutrition professional, but your own eating habits arent quite what youd like them to be. Or you like the idea of being a personal trainer but havent seen the inside of a gym or participated in any exercise programs for years.
You dont need to eat perfectly and work out every day. But you do need to live the field in many ways. Often, health and wellness professionals are seen as examples to their clients and model the behavior that theyre recommending. Identify any changes you may need to make in your personal life as well as any knowledge or expertise you are currently lacking.
Careers In Nutrition And Wellness
Home / Wellness / Careers in Nutrition and Wellness
Theres nothing more satisfying than watching someone transform their life with the help of excellent nutrition and wellness support. If youre the kind of person that loves to talk about whole foods, mindful eating, and well-being, a career in the nutrition and wellness field might be a great fit for you.
The career options available are diverse enough to match different skill sets and interests, plus youll have the ability to find a secure job or build your own business with most of these specializations. With a projected growth rate of 21% between 2012 and 2022 , nutrition and wellness is a field that is destined for lots of career and job opportunities.
If youre having a hard time imagining all the job possibilities in this field, this article was written just for you. Who knows, you might find your dream career on this list. So lets get right to it.
You May Like: Careers Walgreens Com Career Areas
Nutrition And Dietetic Technician Registered
A nutrition and dietetic technician typically works with a dietitian to create healthy meals for individuals or groups of people. They might work in a kitchen, prepping healthy food, as well as developing the menus with the dietitians expertise and support. They also might work with a government agency, such as WIC , or in food service.
This career is considered more of a technical program, and is often a certificate or similar schooling pathway. Youll need to have an associates or bachelors degree in order to register for the programs, and there are different paths for each. Youll also need to pass a certification exam to become registered with the state.
The average salary range for this career is $30-60,000 per year .
Who Employs Nutrition Grads
Below are examples of the types of employers that are interested in employing the specific skill set and knowledge base that a Nutrition graduate can bring to the table:
Hospitals, Health Centers and Clinics: Regional hospitals offer employment in nutrition related roles such as Dietitian or Dietetic Consultant. Individuals with degrees in nutrition can also find employment in Food and Nutritional Services within the healthcare field.
Amateur and Professional Sports Teams: Nutritionists are often hired by sports teams, as well as individual athletes, to compile the most effective and healthy eating plan for each individual or the team in general. These sports nutritionists use a combination of education, observations, and medical tests to determine what diet will be the safest and most effective for the athlete.
Food Product Developers: Companies that specialize in food services and products hire nutrition graduates for in various departments, including culinary, finance, human resources, marketing, sales, and for creating new food products or developing technology related to the enhancement of existing products. These companies may also hire nutrition graduates to manage certain projects, or to ensure food safety regulations are being adhered to.
Nursing Homes: Nutritionists and Dietitians that work in nursing homes typically plan menus that will provide the best nutrition for residents. They must also ensure meals are prepared and delivered safely.
Recommended Reading: Where To Start It Career
Can You Get A Job In Fitness Without A Degree
Its possible to get a job in fitness without a degree on your resume. However, you cant just walk into a gym one day, with no experience or knowledge about the field, and expect to get hired. To qualify for a fitness job without a degree, youll need a passion for fitness, experience doing a variety of exercises, and depending on the gym youre applying to, certifications or certificates on your resume.
Start a career youre passionate about with Penn Foster
While a degree may not be necessary to start a career in the fitness industry, certificates and other credentials can be helpful in qualifying you for positions as you can gain knowledge you can then use to help your clients. With our online Fitness and Nutrition Certificate Program, you can build your knowledge in the field and add a credential to your resume all from home, on your schedule!
If youre ready to start sculpting your future, enroll online in a fitness and nutrition course with Penn Foster today or speak with an Admissions Specialist at to learn more.
Gaining Career Experience As A Student
Pursuing an internship in career fields related to your nutrition degree is the best way to gain relevant work experience while youre still in school. These opportunities allow you to gain professional competencies, while simultaneously offering employers valuable temporary team members.
An internship position can also result in being hired by the sponsoring organization upon graduation. If youve done quality work and made a good impression, chances are that organization will want to retain you on a full-time basis once youve graduated. They will already be familiar with you and your work ethic, and they will save a great deal of time and expense trying to recruit someone else.
You May Like: Get Back To Work After Career Break
Can I Work In A Clinical Setting Such As A Hospital
Nutritionists can work in many different capacities mostly with groups in community settings with a focus on population health. However, unless you have a dietetics qualification, you won’t be able to work in clinical settings, including engaging in one-on-one consultations with hospital patients.
Master of Dietetics and Bachelor of Food and Nutrition student
Why Become A Fitness And Nutrition Specialist
There are several benefits to earning your certification in fitness and nutrition and dietetics. The first is that you can address more of your client’s needs. This is because diet and exercise work together to enhance health.
For example, if a client eats primarily chips and cookies, their body won’t have the nutrition it needs to support regular physical activity. And if they exercise without eating the right foods, they may find it harder to build muscle or lose fat.
They can also take your client’s wellness to the next level. For example, one study found that diet and exercise together improved patients’ health outcomes. Put another way, providing fitness and nutrition advice can reduce your client’s risk of disease.
When you have your certification in both nutrition and personal training, you’re able to develop a complete program. This type of health coaching enables clients to improve their health by making changes in many areas at the same time.
Getting the education needed to work as a nutritionist and personal trainer also increases your earning potential. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average annual income for a nutritionist is $60,370 per year. Fitness professionals in the personal training space earn roughly $39,820 per year.
Working as a nutrition specialist and personal trainer also enables you to work in many different settings. You could offer your services in gyms and other fitness centers. Or you might decide to build your own business.
Recommended Reading: Online Masters In Career Counseling
Can I Work As A Dietitian With A Nutrition Qualification
A dietitian can work in the same roles and settings as nutritionists, however, nutritionists can’t work in some of the settings or perform the work of a clinical dietitian. All dietitians can also be classified as nutritionists but nutritionists can’t be classified as dietitians. If you’ve completed a nutrition qualification such as a Bachelor of Nutrition Science or a Master of Human Nutrition, you can work as a nutritionist only.
Why Turn Fitness And Nutrition Into A Career
The recent changes in the labor market have shown that people may now be looking for more fulfillment in their careers, whether thats financial, emotional, or a combination of the two. One of the best ways to find this is to really focus on the things you enjoy. If youre a person who gets excited by their workout routine and always gives healthy eating advice to friends and family, you may want to make that your job. Not only will you be getting paid to do something you like and would probably be doing anyway, but it can be mentally rewarding, too. It takes more than just happily working out and eating well, though. Youll need to have people skills, too, since youll be working with others sometimes in groups or on an individual basis. Helping others on their journeys to healthier lifestyles makes impactful changes to lives. Youll help them live longer, healthier lives as well as gain self-confidence. The healthier people are, the better society is, too.
Read Also: New Career Path At 40
Insider Tips For Locating High Paying Careers In Nutrition And Fitness
CAREERS | May 2, 2022 8:50:09 AM | by Lionel Staff
Money isnt everything. Having the ability to do something you love and turn it into a career is invaluable. Personal training and nutrition coaching are excellent options that offer work life balance and high income potential. With this in mind, weve got your insider tips for locating high paying careers in fitness and nutrition.
Your livelihood and the ability to create the type of lifestyle you want are important when considering the career path youd like to take.
If fitness and wellness is your passion and youre hoping to make all or a portion of your income in the nutrition and fitness world, keep reading.
Throughout this article, well explore some of the top-paying careers in fitness and nutrition, a few of the pros of working in the fitness and wellness space, and share a few top tips to find those high-paying opportunities.
Why Choose A Career In Fitness
You might choose a career in fitness if youre interested in working with athletes to keep them functioning at their best or if you’re passionate about teaching others about physical fitness and maintaining it. Many jobs in the fitness industry involve helping others learn, grow and lead health-based lifestyles, which can be very rewarding.
Related: Top 10 High-Paying Jobs in Fitness
Don’t Miss: Career Development Tools For Employees
To Become A Health Coach You Should:
- Enroll in a Health Coach Training Program.
- Choose a niche audience for your health coaching work post-graduation, whether it be helping new moms manage stress, working with athletes to optimize their performance, or helping clients eat better to combat chronic conditions.
- Find the setting where you will thrive, whether you decide to conduct virtual coaching, or in-person at a school, corporate office, hospital, gym, wellness center, or doctors office.
