It is not absolutely necessary to have any sort of personal training certification or credential to get a basic position when becoming a personal trainer. No national law requires it, at any rate.
States differ in their treatment of personal trainers and the degree of training required to fill different personal training positions. However, the jobs available to someone without at least a basic personal training certification are more limited and career success harder to achieve when you consider becoming a personal trainer.
As a result, many personal trainers attend schools or workshops providing personal training education and acquire some form of personal trainer certification. There are a variety of personal training certifications available depending on an individual’s goals and ability to pursue further education.
Time and money are frequently limiting factors and the choice of a personal training program.
In addition to programs with the explicit label of personal trainer some other topic areas that can add to a personal trainer’s value are kinesiology, post rehab, exercise or strength and conditioning. When considering how much personal training education you need an important question to ask is how sure are you that you want to pursue a career to become a personal trainer. If you are uncertain, a quick personal training certification or even some work experience without any personal trainer certification may help you decide and refine your career goals.
It is very important to understand your goals when deciding on a professional development program. If there is a personal training position that you want, find out what certifications it requires, or will accept and let this guide your choices. As an example, the more closely you want to work with medical professionals the more likely that an advanced degree will be of value. If, on the other hand, you simply want to work at a fitness center even a two year degree may be overkill in becoming a personal trainer. In any case you will need to learn as much as you can and continue to seek out useful information if you are to succeed in the long run.
It is often useful to acquire secondary certificates that enable you to develop specialized skill sets that make you stand out and help exploit niche markets.
