Somebody shoulda told me it would be like this, changing careers!
I graduated from college at Cal State LA with an engineering degree in 2004.That was enough for me as far as school goes( so I thought). Some of my friends went onto earn graduate degrees from big time schools like USC. I’d ask said friends from time to time. “What’s the difference between them and us”. And the answer was,
“Simple, they believe and know they can, some of us sit around and hope that we can, but we’re actually much smarter than them.” I was about 14 years in my previous line of employment at that time , working for 17 years in used automobile financing. And I appreciate my previous employer. But for me it was time to move on.
I took an interest into personal training that came with my own goals of marathon training. That’s where I reached out to a few to find out what I’d have to do to get into this field. The immediate response was to get certified, which i did. After getting certified,I took on a few private clients before going to school at Show Up Fitness. I got hired at Equinox in 2021. I didn’t necessarily want to take the corporate route. But over time I realized if this personal training is going to be my career I’ve gotta go corporate. And if do its only EQUINOX.
Changing careers comes with its lessons. I’ve had to open up my mind to a new culture to start. If I could’ve talked to my old self 17 months ago before joining Equinox:
Some thoughts I woulda had:
Stay confident(I tend to drift to the cocky side of things, gotta stay humble). But I didn’t know what it was that didn’t know. The non- corporate guy in me is learning corporate side. I’ve realized I’ve gotta use all resources . Can’t do it by myself.
How much do we work: I love what I do. But the ancillary work is equally, if not more important to the primary skills of taking a client through a session.
How much do we make: Some trainers tend to bitch and moan about how much the gym takes. Lets be clear, I feel ya but the gym also has a lot of expenses. Just be happy that you’re in the door and work hard.
How hard is it to find clients: Clients come from a few options for trainers in the corporate world: walking amongst the crowd, and engaging with company staff(networking). I entered this training when we all had masks on so it was a little weird, but I managed. Open yourself up, learn your weaknesses.
The most difficult thing working for Equinox: Well the PT Mgr gives me shit all the time. But 99.99% of the time she’s correct and I get better from it(yes I can be a bit stubborn). The most difficult thing is managing my schedule and long breaks in between. But thats where us trainers have to learn to maximize that time .
They best thing about being a trainer at Equinox : is having a supportive team around me. I always say each one teach one. The better the industry looks, the better we all look.
I’ll do my part.
