Reasons for Career Change to PT

[somo47]

I have seen quite a few of the non-trads on the site post about the fields they left to pursue PT and it made me wonder - what was the reason? Not that I'm questioning your judgement, obviously, I am just curious about the view of those who have been in the work force for a while and why they saw PT as the right choice for them.

Did you just feel that PT would be more fulfilling? Were the opporunities better? Salary difference? Better hours for family? Was PT always the end-goal? I'm sure it's a unique situation for everyone but I always like seeing the profession's appeal from someone with a different background than my own!

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[NewTestament]

I was a personal trainer so it wasn't hard to improve. I did PT because I was interested in performance enhancement and rehab. I wanted a profession in which I could apply scientific knowledge. PT is an established profession that pays a decent wage and allows me to live anywhere. Personal training is ubiquitous, but the requirements, standards, and barriers to entry are so low, and it's seen as a luxury service. You can't make a living doing personal training. A few make it (Craig Ballantyne, JC Santana, etc.) but most don't.

 

[camiosyz]

I haven't officially left my current career yet (currently an operations analyst and starting PT school in August!), but I just realized that working a desk job just wasn't for me. The work I do doesn't feel meaningful to me, and the thought of doing something similar for the rest of my life made me dread waking up in the mornings. I've considered if it was just my dissatisfaction at my current company, but that wasn't really it; I genuinely hate staring at double monitors analyzing spreadsheets all day (just as terrible as it sounds). The PT salary is definitely NOT a factor in switching because I know I would (unfortunately) make much more staying in my current field. I love being up and about on my feet, interacting with people, and feeling like I'm making a difference. I am sure that some days I won't feel like I'm making a difference as a PT either, so I'm not romanticizing the profession. At the end of the day, I'd rather be happy making less money with student debt than be miserable making much more.

As for why PT specifically... I couldn't imagine the time required to go through med school and residency because I'm not yet married and want to have kids before I'm 40. I don't care much for teeth, eyes, or pharmacy. I like that PT's get to be hands on, help people regain functional movement, and still allows for a normal schedule. It definitely has not been my passion for a long time, but I love the field now. /endnovel

 

[davidtheusername]

My career change is from a high school teacher/coach/administrator for 10 years to physical therapy. Physical therapy and medicine were my interests back in college, but I wanted to get out of school and start working instead of going into debt so I taught. The past few years, I've just been waiting for my daughter to get old enough that I thought I could handle school. As for why the change, I like the whole cliche of "helping professions," but I can only break up so many fights around a school in a day when I should be in my classroom teaching my own kids before I get burnt out. I love the closeness to your patients that physical therapists get, the field is interesting and rewarding, and unlike medicine, I can actually see my family in physical therapy.

 

[dancing_DPT]

I am coming from a massage therapy background, which I loved but it left me wanting more. I really enjoyed helping people feel better and connecting with my clients, but ultimately it wasn't enough to keep me interested or happy. Also, it's very tough on the body, specifically hands, wrists, and low backs, so I always knew in the back of my mind massage wasn't going to be my sole career. I have a background in classical ballet, graduating with a BFA and pursuing dance professionally for a few years, and from there stemmed my initial interest in PT. When I graduated and started working with a ballet company, I put that thought on the back burner so I could devote myself to the craft...and two years later I was so burnt out I had to leave the profession entirely. That's when I started massage school, and once I became licensed and practicing, I realized I wanted a lot more for myself. So back to undergrad I went for all those prerequisites!

For me, I've always tried to do what made me happiest. Unfortunately that also meant I never actually made money beyond covering my monthly expenses. So I'm quite excited to be in a profession that has a monthly salary with benefits, defined hours, and WEEKENDS OFF (if I choose, and I will definitely choose )

 

[Azimuthal]

I switched from an environment, health and safety compliance background. My previous employer wanted to sponsor me through law school and advance me towards corporate law/ consult to board of directors. I enjoyed the people I worked with, however the job was boring and quite frankly sucked. The funny thing was, I didn't even reflect upon "the suck" until they made me that offer. A few months afterwards I began shadowing different healthcare professions, starting with the occupational health physician my company had a contract with. I'm glad I did.

 

[callmecrazy]

I finished undergrad (bio and secondary ed) with plans to teach high school biology. There were no permanent positions to apply for around here, and I couldn't afford to live on the sporadic income of substitute teaching. I used my bio background to land a university research tech position. It only took about a year in a lab to realize I needed something else and started exploring career options. I considered everything from PT to opening my own bakery and many things in between.

I think my previous options were fulfilling as well, but I think there's something to be said for what just feels right. As a PT I make a whole lot more money than a research tech with only a BS. I have potential to make more than a teacher, but the reality is that comparative hourly rates probably max out around the same, at least locally. I also choose to work as a school-based therapist; working 75% of the year only gets you 75% of a typical PT salary. So I definitely didn't choose this route for the money, but the opportunities certainly are better!

 

[starrsgirl]

I always wanted to be a military flight surgeon. I took a full ride ROTC scholarship and started out in college with a military medical school scholarship (guaranteed they would pay for med school too after undergrad). All I had to do was maintain a 3.0 and do the pre reqs. Well I managed to blow that scholarship (medical one) in the first year of undergrad. I didn't know what to do at that point. I stuck with ROTC and joined the AF after graduating. I planned to complete an immediate post bac for med school but the military had other plans.

I worked in a technical field in remote locations with very odd schedules. I literally could not take a single class I needed. That said, I really loved the military but my heart couldn't give up the dream of medicine. I finished my initial commitment and then stayed longer to finish the assignment. At that point I was doing well, making a great paycheck, awesome benefits. I tried to pursue options to transition from my tech career to medical while staying in the military but couldn't. I was married at that point too and every option would have required years of separation. The military offered to pay for a masters so I did one in kinesiology and loved it. That was a great reminder that perhaps I could do what I loved (I liked the military but my job was insanely stressful and hard hours). At this point, we had a kid. I decided to leave the miitary for a post bac program. We decided med school wasn't a good family decision for us. I wanted to be present. I really considered PA but I honestly didn't have the grades to get in and it would have required another year of pre reqs. PT kept coming back up. I dislike the salary (will make less than old career) but love the work environment. I wanted a moveable career with some fkexibility too. I also was a personal trainer for years so this felt like doing that job but with more education and ability to help. I also really like the decision making (for your patients) and creativity and education aspects of this career.

 

[ktachiba]

I majored in Business Economics cuz I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, and I figured majoring in Economics was a safe way to make money... Fast forward to my few years after college, and I realized I didn't like any type of business jobs. It felt like I was doing a job with no purpose other than to try and make lots of money.

I met with my dad's friend, who advised me to list things that I'm passionate about because he said that money will follow your passions. I thought about being a personal trainer cuz I liked to work out/play sports, but it didn't seem like a very rewarding/stable career. Luckily, I was working at my dad's medical office one day, and his co-worker suggested physical therapy after seeing my passion for sports and caring personality. I actually never thought about physical therapy up until that point...it was like a message sent from God haha. I remember I had physical therapy for a short time in high school cuz I developed tendonitis from playing baseball, but it never crossed my mind back then to pursue it as a career. I also realized that I enjoy science classes and critical thinking...I guess I'm a late-blooming nerd haha (even though I did decently in undergrad ~3.5GPA)

I fell in love with physical therapy for the following reasons:

1. You get to help patients recover from injuries...very rewarding!
2. There are so many different fields to practice in that I don't think I could ever get bored with this career. I can be in an outpatient gym-like setting one day and then at a hospital or SNF the next day.
3. The pay is good...I think its the 20th highest paying career on average according to US News...As long as I can make 70K+, I am happy.
4. I love that we can be travel PTs and I can travel to every state (which is my goal haha) while getting paid a great salary and doing a job that I love
5. I don't have to sit in a chair all day long like in my previous business jobs.
6. Very stable job that has a great market
7. Think critically and develop relationships with patients

 

[Azimuthal]

Continue sharing. Someone out there is sitting around pondering change.

 

[DesertPT]

This is one of the most interesting threads I've read on here in a while.

 

[tweaze]

I graduated in 2007 with a double degree in dance and anthropology. Clearly, I had many lucrative career options

In all seriousness, by the time I graduated, I was only still dancing out of habit, and had lost my passion and drive to pursue a professional career. I was also chronically injured, which made it doubly foolish to pursue a professional career. I considered PT school at that point, but I had worked full time throughout undergrad in customer service, and was super burned out from working and studying constantly. On top of this, my mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness right before my graduation, and everything else took a backseat throughout the course of her illness. I got married and started working for an insurance company.

After a couple of years, I knew that I couldn't be an insurance drone for the rest of my life, despite the fact it paid well, was stable, and had great hours. I hated sitting at a desk all day, was bored 75% of the time, and had extremely limited options for moving into a different job type or moving up in the company. Most importantly, I often felt pressured to make decisions that I felt uneasy about, was verbally abused by attorneys and customers, and had to maintain working relationships with extremely hostile individuals. At that point, I had to stick it out while my husband finished his degree and found a job, but when I started researching and planning, I came back to PT.

When I had first considered PT out of college, it was superficial - I had been injured all the time, and in PT on and off since my early teens. I had a positive experience with it, and thought I would enjoy being a PT. Years later, I realized that the field is much broader than I had imagined, and that I would always have options to grow and be challenged by my work. I was attracted to the more physical nature of the job and the regular hours. I also acquired a lot of really specific knowledge working in insurance, and it seems like a chance to use my knowledge for good. I know there is a lot of complaining about the salary, but to me, 70K a year sounds awesome. I've spent almost my whole life living on significantly less, even in some years where we had a dual income.

In a side note, it's funny how life comes full circle, because as I get ready to start PT school in the fall, I've also started dancing again for the first time since college.

 

[somo47]

Wow, thank you to everyone who's responded! It makes me a bit nervous to be a trad going into PT school (I'm a textbook worrier), but I was drawn to the profession for many of the same reasons others have listed. Everyone's story has been so unique and interesting so far - I'm hoping this thread will help those who are thinking of making the switch to PT as well.