Physical Therapy versus Personal Training

[Spaullba]

So, I am two years away from graduating from college (switched my major so it is taking me longer) and I have always planned on going to graduate school for Physical Therapy (PT). Lately, however I have been questioning it. The cost of grad school versus the income from a PT job does not quite seem in line. You can make as much personal training if you work hard and educate yourself, and much much more if you start your own business. I am basically looking for any input people may have on this subject.

Here is a plus/minus chart I put together today.

Top row is PT, bottom is personal training.

Overall what do you guys think? I look forward to your answers. Thanks!

 

[Dale Mabry]

I'd go with trainer for a couple of reasons.

1)I am a trainer, I work for myself, I work about 30 hours a week and I make a lot more money than a physical therapist. I am saddled with school debt, but that's because I was doing something else before the training.

2)I will never work for a corporation or someone else again. I make my own hours, see however many people I want, and I don't have to worry about someone screwing me over or giving me a raise, I make my own raise.

3)I get $65 an hour and for 1/3 of my clients pay $20/session for a rental fee. I see no more than 4 people at a time because I don't want to see more than that, but when I see 4 people I am getting $120 an hour. I see physical therapists working with 5-6 people at a time making the equivalent of $20/hour.

4)While it is hard to initially get clients, if you work hard to make yourself a better trainer you will make money. Most trainers don't really work that hard at getting better so the competition is minimal.

 

[Spaullba]

Thank you for the info.

I am leaning towards switching career intentions over to personal training for basically the reasons you state above. I just want to make sure I am making the right choice. I have planned on going to PT school for a couple years now, so this would be a big decision.

I think my plan would be to start off working for a gym, buildup some connections and clients, and then try to go solo within 2-5 years.

 

[GFR]

Physical Therapy by a million miles. Very few trainers make even close to what a below average Physical Therapist makes. Depending on the state of course, as a Physical Therapist you can expect to pull in $90,000 a year plus benefits, and many jobs will pay for your future education. Not to mention if you want to personal train on the side your credentials will blow away a personal trianers.

 

[~RaZr~]

Physical Therapy by a million miles. Very few trainers make even close to what a below average Physical Therapist makes. Depending on the state of course, as a Physical Therapist you can expect to pull in $90,000 a year plus benefits, and many jobs will pay for your future education. Not to mention if you want to personal train on the side your credentials will blow away a personal trianers.

Pretty much summed it up...

 

[Spaullba]

From what I have heard though the middle 50% of Physical Therapists make ~$65k to $80k. Where did you hear $90k?

 

[~RaZr~]

Probably depends on a multitude of factors boss. Location, experience, reputation all add to a bigger salary.

 

[GFR]

From what I have heard though the middle 50% of Physical Therapists make ~$50k to $75k. Where did you hear $90k?

I work in the hospital, I am a RN. I also know several people through family and friends who are Physical Therapists, my brother in law for one.

Do a search, Physical Therapists make $65,000 to $130,000 depending on the area and their experience, then add in job security, medical benefits, the ability to move anywhere and start working again making the same or better cash....ect. The average pay is around 80K.

Comparing personal training to a real medical degree is laughable, honestly it's no contest.

 

[Spaullba]

Yeah. Like I said in my OP, the average salary of a PT is higher. According to Average Physical Therapist Salary Information plus Job, Career Education & Unemployment Help for PT, and Average Personal Trainer Salary Information plus Job, Career Education & Unemployment Help for Personal Training. But the thing about PT is that the range of how much you can make is much smaller, whereas if you start your own business as a Personal Trainer you can make six figures and much much more even (this is at least the impression I have gotten). This is also possible with PT, but seems to be much more rare and harder to do. Basically PT = safe, steady, good income. Personal Training = opportunity to get rich, more risky. But when you think about it, a Personal Trainer who is in the 80th percentile of the field makes about the same as a PT who makes the average.. Food for thought I guess.

Also, if I were to go to PT school and rack up $50,000 in student loans, I would be effectively making less/equal money for the first 5 to 10 years out of college than if I had gone into Personal Training. So, after ~6 years post PT school, maybe I will have gotten all my loans paid off and will really start being able to save up money. At this same point in time as a Personal Trainer I would have been out of undergrad for 9 years, and could already have the beginnings of a good business set up and running, and be on the right track to really cash in on the higher income ceiling inherent in the Personal Training field.

 

[Spaullba]

Physical Therapy by a million miles. Very few trainers make even close to what a below average Physical Therapist makes. Depending on the state of course, as a Physical Therapist you can expect to pull in $90,000 a year plus benefits, and many jobs will pay for your future education. Not to mention if you want to personal train on the side your credentials will blow away a personal trianers.

I appreciate the info!

I have heard so many competing opinions on the topic though. See this thread: What's the highest DPT salary you heard of? | Physical Therapy | Student Doctor Network. Basically saying that after 5 years of experience you should still not expect to make more than $85,000.

I think I am gunna talk to some of my professors about it too, see what they think.

 

[~RaZr~]

Also, if I were to go to PT school and rack up $50,000 in student loans, I would be effectively making less/equal money for the first 5 to 10 years out of college than if I had gone into Personal Training. So, after ~6 years post PT school, maybe I will have gotten all my loans paid off and will really start being able to save up money. At this same point in time as a Personal Trainer I would have been out of undergrad for 9 years, and could already have the beginnings of a good business set up and running, and be on the right track to really cash in on the higher income ceiling inherent in the Personal Training field.

I am not trying to discourage you, but there are many ways to pay for school without being stuck in years of debt. Loans, grants, scholarships, externships....you name it, it's out there.

 

[GFR]

Physical Therapist

99% of personal trainers make less then the average Physical Therapist, don't kid yourself by thinking you will be the one guy in 1000 who hits the big time.

As for school cost that is something you have to research, you can pay a boat load or you can be smart and pay very little.


How much education do you have now, what type of colleges did you attend, how much have you spent so far, why not personal train while you are in school so you can pay for it.....hell if you can make 100K a year as a personal trainer like you think paying for college should be easy.

Also what is your GPA, as in your GPA for science and math...not the bullshit classes.

 

[Spaullba]

99% of personal trainers make less then the average Physical Therapist, don't kid yourself by thinking you will be the one guy in 1000 who hits the big time.

As for school cost that is something you have to research, you can pay a boat load or you can be smart and pay very little.


How much education do you have now, what type of colleges did you attend, how much have you spent so far, why not personal train while you are in school so you can pay for it.....hell if you can make 100K a year as a personal trainer like you think paying for college should be easy.

Also what is your GPA, as in your GPA for science and math...not the bullshit classes.

I will be able to get into pretty much any PT school I want when I graduate (I currently carry a 4.0, I dont anticipate graduating with that, but something close). However, even the cheapest of schools is still ~$50k for a DPT program. Assuming I go into PT I wouldn't go to one of the top tier schools that costs a fortune, but at the same time I do not believe that it is a good idea to jump at the cheapest school I could find either. My guess is that I would end up paying about 60-70 grand for a not so prestigious, but reputable school. I could certainly work part time while in school, but most PT schools are quite competitive and I would not anticipate being able to work more than 20 hours/week while in school. Basically I think I could pay for my living expenses, books, etc. But probably not so much for the cost of the credit hours. I could try to get a scholarship, fellowship, grant or something, but that is no sure thing by ay means.

 

[GFR]

With a 4.0 I would think a scholarship is a real option. Also with your bachelors can you work in the Physical Therapy department at all?

So now you need 8 years of college to be a Physical Therapist? If that's the case I would honestly pick another program, why not just go to med school or become a PA (Physician assistant). Physician assistants make more then Physical Therapists, the school time is shorter ( 2 years) and the job growth in that area is massive.

 

[Spaullba]

The Physical Therapy field has shifted to pretty much entirely a DPT degree, whereas a masters of even 5 year program was common before. I changed my major, so my undergrad is going to take me 5-5.5 yrs, (I am finishing up my 4th now) including some summer classes. The DPT program normally takes 3 yrs (sometimes you can find an accelerated one that is a bit shorter like 2.5), thus I will have ~8 total yrs of school should I do PT.

I am not really interested in being a PA or doctor. I am interested in health/science mostly only as it relates to sports and performance. I do not think I would enjoy those fields, although I definitely see how they could be more logical financially. But doing something I enjoy is just as important to me as money.

My guess is that if I go to PT school I would be rewarded some scholarship, but nothing HUGE. Maybe it would lower my total expenses from 70 grand to 50 or 60 grand. Which would certainly be nice, but would still leave me in a lot of debt.

I can see the benefits to both careers, which is why this is a hard decision. Good thing is that I have quite a bit of time to think since I still have over a year until graduation. My program also requires 700 hours of internship/work experience in an exercise science related field, that cannot be started until all other courses have been taken. So that adds even more time till graduation. I can be paid though.

 

[dgp]

From what I have heard though the middle 50% of Physical Therapists make ~$65k to $80k. Where did you hear $90k?

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos080.htm

 

[exphys88]

Physical Therapy by a million miles. Very few trainers make even close to what a below average Physical Therapist makes. Depending on the state of course, as a Physical Therapist you can expect to pull in $90,000 a year plus benefits, and many jobs will pay for your future education. Not to mention if you want to personal train on the side your credentials will blow away a personal trianers.

GFR is totally correct. PT is the smarter decision.

I have a masters degree in exercise physiology and wish I would have chosen the PT route instead of the clinical exercise science. Mainly because of the lack of job options. I've worked in cardiac rehab for 4 years but just got laid off and the only option to find good paying work is to go back to more school to be an RN.

There aren't many options for good paying jobs for a personal trainer compared to a PT. A PT is way more qualified than a personal trainer too, so you still have the option to personal train as a PT.

The PT's that I work with make about 35-40/hour and work 40 hours a week.

 

[GFR]

I hate to rip on people in a thread that matters, but Dale Mabry is full of shit.

His facts are wrong (physical therapists making 20 an hour..LMAO) and he fails to point out that most personal trainers do not make $65 an hour, hell very, very few do, plus he also fails to point out what ever they make most are giving a cut of that to someone else like a gym. He also fails to point out that if a trainer has his/her own gym that gym costs money to equip and maintain, and time outside of training to manage. He fails to point out insurance and legal fees said trainer needs to pay out of pocket. Lets not forget the biggest thing he fails to point out, that it takes years and years to become a top trainer in your area, and if you move you lose most if not all your clientele.

Dale Mabry's post is: irresponsible, lacks real facts and is an out right lie. "I make a lot more money than a Physical therapist."

I think poor Dale is confusing a Physical therapist assistant with a Physical therapist, that or he is just full of shit.

 

[exphys88]

I hate to rip on people in a thread that matters, but Dale Mabry is full of shit.

His facts are wrong (physical therapists making 20 an hour..LMAO) and he fails to point out that most personal trainers do not make $65 an hour, hell very, very few do, plus he also fails to point out what ever they make most are giving a cut of that to someone else like a gym. He also fails to point out that if a trainer has his/her own gym that gym costs money to equip and maintain, and time outside of training to manage. He fails to point out insurance and legal fees said trainer needs to pay out of pocket. Lets not forget the biggest thing he fails to point out, that it takes years and years to become a top trainer in your area, and if you move you lose most if not all your clientele.

Dale Mabry's post is: irresponsible, lacks real facts and is an out right lie. "I make a lot more money than a Physical therapist."

I think poor Dale is confusing a Physical therapist assistant with a Physical therapist, that or he is just full of shit.

Again, I agree with GFR. Personal trainers will sometimes make 50-100/hour, but I've rarely seen that happen, and it's not 40 hours a week at that rate. And, it's a constant challenge to keep clients and develop new ones. some weeks are busy and some weeks suck.

A physical therapist is an expert, works autonomously, and is a very well respected professional in the medical field. A personal trainer is something one does while pursuing a "real" profession of either Physical Therapist or exercise physiologist. You'll have way more job options with PT though, so I discourage people from being an exercise physiologist.

 

[Dale Mabry]

I hate to rip on people in a thread that matters, but Dale Mabry is full of shit.

His facts are wrong (physical therapists making 20 an hour..LMAO) and he fails to point out that most personal trainers do not make $65 an hour, hell very, very few do, plus he also fails to point out what ever they make most are giving a cut of that to someone else like a gym. He also fails to point out that if a trainer has his/her own gym that gym costs money to equip and maintain, and time outside of training to manage. He fails to point out insurance and legal fees said trainer needs to pay out of pocket. Lets not forget the biggest thing he fails to point out, that it takes years and years to become a top trainer in your area, and if you move you lose most if not all your clientele.

Dale Mabry's post is: irresponsible, lacks real facts and is an out right lie. "I make a lot more money than a Physical therapist."

I think poor Dale is confusing a Physical therapist assistant with a Physical therapist, that or he is just full of shit.

It probably takes about 5 years to make your name in an area, you just need to put yourself in front of the right people. It might be hard for a social leper like Foreman, but it was pretty easy for me and I'm fairly introverted.

 

[Dale Mabry]

Physical Therapist - Apta Salaries | Simply Hired

 

[GFR]

Dale, since you make over $100,000 a year how about giving me a loan.

 

[Dale Mabry]

Dale, since you make over $100,000 a year how about giving me a loan.

I don't make 100k, probably more like $80k. I like to keep my schedule light and take a week or so off every other month. That is one of the drawbacks, no paid vacation. I also take Fridays off.