Advice please - how much do these jobs earn?

amother

Papaya

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 10:50 pm

Hi everyone,

I am considering going back to school sometime in the next couple of years. Right now I work in childcare because I like to stay with my kids when they are little, but I am approaching 40 and will no longer have little kids to stay with me soon probably...

I am trying to decide what field I should train in. Definitely nothing to do with nursing, or OT or PT.
Thinking of becoming an accountant.... or a dietician/nutritionist..... or not sure what else.
Does anyone know how these fields pay and how long the training is and what pre-requisites you need? (Never been to college before, I have no education past seminary).
Any ideas of other professions? My mind is blanking, but I would love some ideas, and if you know approximately how well those jobs pay I would really appreciate that information too.

Thanks in advance.

LittleDucky

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 11:00 pm

Those are quite varied jobs- simplistically accounting is dealing with numbers all day. Dietician/nutritionist is working with people and their medical/dietary issues.

If you have no post high school experience (sem may give credits but not always) I would recommend starting college and taking a few basic courses. Especially prerequisite and the "core courses" everyone needs to get a BA. Nutritionists need biology- start there. Take a business/accounting course as well. See what you like. Money isn't everything if you hate the field. Odds are if you detest it, you won't pass the classes, get into graduate school or do well in your job.

I am not in either field but I have friends who did the schooling. Nutrition I believe is a masters program- you probably need the basic science classes (biology, anatomy, chemistry), psychology, some math.
Accounting used to be just a BA but I think it recently switched to a Masters.

But licenses may vary by state so look up a local grad school and see what their entrance requirements are. Those are the MINIMUM. Good luck!

amother

Papaya

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 11:03 pm

LittleDucky wrote:

Thanks for your advice, little ducky. Does anyone know how these fields pay?

LittleDucky

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 11:08 pm

amother wrote:

Thanks for your advice, little ducky. Does anyone know how these fields pay?

That varies based on where you live somewhat. Yes, a neurosurgeon will usually earn more than a special ed teacher. But how much? And will you like it?

Look up online to see average calculators for different fields for your area. And look at the median and range as well (if supplied). It can tell you a lot about what you can expect, from the lowest paid to the top of the field.

amother

Maroon

Mon, Apr 11 2016, 11:47 pm

Assuming that you are in the US:

The Registered Dietitian (RD), also called Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), is the recognized nutrition expert. This is the professional qualification you need to work as a nutritionist in mainstream healthcare, community and food service settings. The credentialing body is the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), affiliated with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), until recently known as the American Dieteic Association.

To become an RD/RDN, you need a bachelor's degree which does not have to be in nutrition per se, but you need to be sure to complete a specified set of coursework. It is similar to premed, plus education, nutrition and food courses. A masters degree is not currently required, but the profession is moving in that direction and many RD/RDN's have a masters.

Then, you need to apply for and complete an internship. Internships are extremely competitive and there is no guarantee of earning a place. After the internship, there is a registration exam.

There are alternate routes, including coordinated programs in which the internship and coursework are done concurrently, and an individualized pathway which is very similar to the internship route. Learn more about the process here: http://www.eatrightacend.org/A.....85467

As much as I enjoy my career, I would not recommend it unless you are passionate about nutrition. To make a good living, you need to be strongly entrepreneurial, or employed as a food service director (for example) or some other role with responsibility for a large budget. The training is long and may be expensive. The shortage of internship spots is a real problem. That being said, I interact frequently with nutrition students, and many are career-changers, so you are not alone in investigating nutrition as a non-traditional student.

Employed clinical dietitians do not command a high salary. It is similar to being an elementary school teacher or librarian. (Obviously, it varies from one part of the country to another.) However, most full-time and many part-time jobs are benefits-eligible, which may make a big difference to a family. In private practice or as a consultant you may command a much higher rate, but there are no benefits.

I hope this helps! If you have more specific questions, please feel free to post.

preempservices

Tue, Apr 12 2016, 10:31 am

amother wrote:

What are your natural talents? What kind of things are you good at?
How much time and money are you willing to invest in schooling? What kind of salary are you looking to make?

I would see a career counselor if I was thinking of going back to school at your stage of life, you want to make sure that you really know what your going into.

If you live in Brooklyn the JCC-GCI offers free Career Counseling:
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=00.....qDA==

Amarante

Tue, Apr 12 2016, 3:01 pm

Do you think you would be happy working with numbers - that's what an accountant does.

As between accountant - dietician, based solely on career possibilities accountant is the far better choice because there is always a job for an accountant and there are many job possibilities depending on education and interests.

A CPA is one who practices at the highest level but there is also a need for bookkeepers which relies on simpler skills. Every company I have ever worked at has used people with some form of "numbers" background from basic clerks to people who work on sophisticated numbers crunching.

There is also a good living to be made from working in private practice on taxes. My building has a "bookkeeper" who works 20 hours per week and she pays bills and keeps the books; figures out payroll (although actual payroll is done by outside company but she sends in the figures and is responsible for making sure the bank accounts are funded etc.

My aunt was a bookkeeper and she worked at her company part time into her 80's LOL.

Of course there are many other jobs besides the two you mentioned but if you think you have a head for figures, it's quite a good field with a lot of possible ways to earn.

tichellady

Tue, Apr 12 2016, 8:28 pm

There is no standard pay. A Rd at a dialysis clinic may make about $50k a year with benefits but a Rd with a thriving private practice may make $150kz Accounting depends on if you own your own business, work for a big company in audit, work for a firm as a tax accountant etc. a first year corporate accounting job probably pays about $50-70k but will be very long hours and may require travel. If you work in house at a business there is less room for growth but more normal hours.